Should I Stay Or Should I Go
by ainsamely
Summary: There comes a time in the life of every band that a problem arises: two guys, one girl, and one chance to make it big. Please R&R!
1. Prologue

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title is a Clash song.  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: I am convinced that I am unhealthily obsessed with the amazing movie School of Rock. How many times have I seen it? 23 and a half, man! (Hee, to all those of you who've watched the Kids Kommentary and get why this is funny.) Seriously though, I was relieved to find many other fans shared my obsession. However, I never got the Freddy/Katie vibe most of you seem to be feeling, I liked the "Opposites Attract" mentality, with Freddy/Summer. Hopefully, you guys will give this a chance, and maybe find something you like. All right, end of ramble, let the story begin.  
  
Often, when a band breaks up, you hear it was because of "creative differences". Look at the demise of the Beatles, Guns 'n' Roses, the Eagles, and many others. If it weren't for the constant clashing between Lennon and McCartney, maybe the Beatles would've lasted another decade or two. The same goes for Axle and Slash. But I guess working around differences is the biggest risk one takes when forming a band. And the members of our band were as different as they come.  
  
Before I get ahead of the story, I'll introduce myself. I'm Zack, Zack Moonyham, lead guitarist in what I can proudly call the most successful youth band in the state: School of Rock. We started back in the fifth grade, and have been going strong ever since. Or at least musically, we have. We haven't been so lucky in other areas.  
  
After our impressive performance in the local Battle of the Bands competition, most of the class became a pretty tight knit group, especially those of us who were still taking the band seriously, in Dewey Finn (more on him later)'s after school program; me, Lawrence, Tomika, Marta, Alicia, Katie, Freddy and Summer. For the rest of our elementary and middle school careers, we were inseparable. The 7 of us did EVERYTHING together, from homework, to soccer games, to concerts, EVERYTHING.  
  
But then we entered high school, and everything changed.  
  
They say in high school, you find your niche. That you meet other people just like you, who share your interests, your goals and your passions. I, of course, thought we'd all already found our places within our little group. What need was there for new friends, when we all had each other? Alas, upon crossing the threshold of secondary school, we departed form one another, and found new cliques.  
  
Lawrence became even more dedicated to his piano and school work than ever before. Our music teacher, Mrs. Franklin is convinced that he has a real shot at Julliard, with his classical work. Of course, this contradicts Dr. Pruett's belief that Lawrence will study chemistry at MIT. In any case, he fell into a sort of hermit – like resistance, constantly studying and practicing. Still, Lawrence remains loyal to the band, and has yet to miss a jam session.  
  
Tomika and Marta, like Lawrence, also found new goals, however theirs lie in the field of musical theatre. Both girls won lead roles in our school's presentation of My Fair Lady, and according to reviews in the local paper, both show real potential. Neither has quit the band.  
  
In the middle of freshman year, Alicia moved out of town as a result of her father's promotion at work. After many tearful goodbyes, she became the first member to leave the band, though she still holds an honorary position should she ever return to Hartford.  
  
Afterwards, Katie, who always did have a slight attitude, took up her bass with new fervor, possibly to make up for our absentee singer. She earned a bit of a "bad girl" reputation around school. This was mostly because of the friends she found in her art classes. They were an alternative bunch if you ever saw one; all sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Well, minus the rock 'n' roll. Hell, maybe even minus the sex, its not like I know.  
  
What truly baffles the mind is the fact that Katie and Summer managed to maintain their friendship through all of this. Summer was the polar opposite of Katie's new group, and yet no rift grew between the girls. As expected, Summer continued in her high – achiever mode; honor roll student, class president, debate team captain, newspaper AND yearbook editor. The list goes on. In fact, of all of us, Summer is the one that seemed to most abandon the band.  
  
But Freddy was the one who changed the most. In ninth grade, Freddy immersed himself in a playboy-esq lifestyle, using his money, charm, good looks, and status as a rock god to get everything he wanted. Namely, popularity, especially with the girls. Within weeks, Freddy was the unofficial king of Langford Preparatory. All the girls wanted him, and all the guys wanted to be him. I was kind of taken along for this ride, as Freddy's best friend, I was sort of his sarcastic, comedic sidekick. Unfortunately, this meant I got front row seats to seeing Freddy's ego blow up, and begin to think that he was bigger than the band.  
  
So maybe that's why I was anxious about the welfare of SOR. Perhaps my concern stemmed not from the fact that we weren't the dream team we once were, but from our manager's virtual abandonment, and the newly found diva within our drummer. But in my heart I knew this wasn't our biggest problem.  
  
The largest roadblock facing the band was that said manager and said drummer hated each other. A breakup due to "creative differences" was just around the corner. 


	2. Just Push Play

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and the title of this chapter is an Aerosmith  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: I'm so happy most of you seem to like where this is going. So happy in fact, that I've decided to update! Two chapters in two days, a personal best for me! By the way, I don't think they ever really specified exactly which city or state the school was in, unless I missed that crucial piece of information. I've decided the setting is Hartford, Connecticut, mostly because Horace Green reminded me of the elementary school my cousins attend there. So without further adieu . . .  
  
Just Push Play  
  
"Damnit!" cried 17 year old Summer Hathaway. "Is punctuality that hard of a concept to grasp? Practice starts at 4:30. Not 4:45, and definitely not 5:00. 4:30. You all understand that, why can't our pretentious percussionist?"  
  
"Relax Summer, its only been ten minutes" soothed Katie. "Freddy probably got held up somewhere. He'll be here."  
  
The shorter girl snorted. "What, he couldn't get away from shoving his tongue down his new flavor – of – the - week's face? What's her name again?"  
  
"Jenna." Zack threw in amusedly, "and according to Freddy, she's got some moves that would put Olympic gymnasts to shame."  
  
All four girls in the room made a face. "Ew!" exclaimed Tomika; "I did not need to know that!"  
  
"Hey guys, what's going on?" Everyone's attention turned to the rumpled blonde boy who had sauntered into the room.  
  
Summer fixed him with a glare. "Oh, we were just discussing the technical difficulties you must be having with your watch. Honestly, is it so difficult to arrive on time? This is the third time in two weeks you've been late. That's . . ." she mentally added things up, "An hour and six minutes we've had to wait for you. Do you see how that's unfair?"  
  
"You've kept count?" he asked incredulously. "God I was right. You don't have a life."  
  
Furious, Summer drew up to her full height. "For you're information, I am not only class president but editor of the yearbook and -"  
  
Freddy cut her off "the school newspaper. I know. But that doesn't tell me anything other than you're the same pompous know – it – all you were back in fifth grade, when you were Class Facto– thingy. All studying. You have no social life." Summer opened her mouth to comment, but was waved away by Freddy. "Oh right, you're going out with that football player. So what? Dating that oversized piece of meat does not count as having a life. I bet you haven't even let him get to second b-"  
  
"All right people, let's rock!" Interjected Dewey Finn, who had been otherwise occupied on the phone. He was anxious as to where exactly this conversation was headed.  
  
Summer and Freddy glared at each other for another full minute, before the latter turned away to set up his drums with Zack.  
  
"You didn't have to be that hard on her." the darker headed boy muttered. Freddy acknowledged him only with a grunt.  
  
Before the band even began to play the opening chords of their Sex Pistols cover, they were rudely interrupted by a car horn. Summer meandered over to the window, and upon seeing whom the guilty culprit was, squealed, "Ooh, it's Austin! Mr. S, please can I go down and see him? I mean, he came all this way . . ."  
  
Dewey sighed resignedly, "Fine. Wouldn't want to stand in the way of young love. Go on, skedaddle!"  
  
Summer skipped happily down the stairs, and almost immediately the remaining kids hurried over to the window.  
  
"Look at him, the big, hulking, permanent bench press fixture" Zack grumbled. Austin Latimer was a bit of a sore spot with the guitarist. He simply didn't understand what Summer could possibly see in such an obvious dumb jock.  
  
"See?" Freddy gestured. "How can we possibly have someone with taste that bad as our manager. Mark my words, soon she'll have us playing in a jazz lounge, or marching for her boyfriend's freakin' football team."  
  
"I don't know Freddy, I think you'd look great with a big drum strapped to your torso" Katie teased.  
  
The others were still focused on the display going on outside. Marta sighed. "Aw, look, he tucked back a strand of her hair. Summer's so lucky that Austin's so sweet."  
  
A collective groan came from the guys, including Dewey. "C'mon," the lead singer urged, "when did my band become a bunch of peeping Toms, and . . ." he paused thoughtfully.  
  
"and Peeping Tomikas?" Katie suggested helpfully.  
  
"Whatever. Now let's put a hold on all our 007 crapola, forget about Summer, and do what we came here to do."  
  
The band members moved back towards their instruments, all except Zack, who remained at the window, his gaze firmly resting on the pair outside by the Cadillac.  
  
Drumming lightly on his snare, Freddy griped, "It's just so totally unfair. She's pissed at me for being a little late, and yet she blows us off in the middle of every practice for her boyfriend." He said the word as though it left a sour taste in his mouth.  
  
"Get over it, Freddy, and give her a break." Katie scolded. "Austin is her first boyfriend, and she's really excited and nervous about it. You should be happy for her."  
  
"Like she was happy for me when I went out with Lisa Braun?"  
  
"You didn't go out with Lisa, you only made out with her over a lunch period!" Tomika accused. "And besides, you two were blocking Summer's locker."  
  
Freddy simply smirked.  
  
"He kind of has a point," Marta ventured out. The other girls stared at her, appalled. "I only mean, Summer has slacked on us lately" the blonde quickly amended.  
  
Adjusting her shoulder strap, Katie quickly defended her best friend. "Yeah, slacked off, Summer – style. Which is still ten times better a managing job than any of us could ever do. Summer never does anything half – ass."  
  
Meanwhile, Lawrence had tapped Zack on the shoulder. "Zack? Are you all right?"  
  
The guitarist snapped out of his trance. "Huh? What about Summer's ass?"  
  
Dead silence.  
  
Zack turned beet red.  
  
The girls tried (and failed) to act as though they hadn't heard anything.  
  
Freddy snickered.  
  
Dewey coughed. "All right then. God Save the Queen, on three."  
  
~*~  
  
Twenty minutes later, the band had made it through their first set, which included not only their Sex Pistols track, but covers of hits from the Ramones, Thin Lizzy, the Hives, Rush, and one original song Dewey's friend Ned had written, entitled "Rock – Ed".  
  
Summer came back in, breathless. "Oh, my gosh. You'll never believe what me and Austin just did!"  
  
Freddy was horror – struck. "Good god woman, keep that kind of information to yourself! I do NOT need to know if the little – bookworm – that – could, and her gorilla of a boyfriend got it on. Just . . . no!"  
  
Summer looked confused for a moment, then, as understanding dawned, she began to blush furiously. "Ew! That is so not what I meant. And I would never do anything like that, outside, where everyone can see. That's disgusting!"  
  
The drummer continued to look at her skeptically. Summer turned away from him.  
  
"Fine. What I meant was, the reason Austin came over here was because he heard about this big music competition happening over in Cambridge, and he thought we might be interested. Get this, it's for three whole days, well, that is if you last that long. A few bands are eliminated every day, but if our group makes it to the final round, we have a shot at meeting Conan O'Brien!"  
  
She was met with blank stares. "Who?"  
  
Summer sighed. "Conan O'Brien, he's this hilarious late night comic. See, he's a Harvard alumnus, that's why the competition's in Cambridge, and if we get on his show, you have no idea what kind of publicity that would mean! We'd be on the cover of Rolling Stone like that!" She snapped her fingers for emphasis.  
  
The rest of the band conveyed their excitement through a series of shrieks and shouts. Only the blonde boy sitting behind a drum set remained doubtful. "And how do we know this show really exists? You're beloved caveman could just be pulling our legs."  
  
Summer scowled. "Austin's not like that. He's not a jerk like some guys I could name." She looked pointedly at Freddy. "Besides, his cousin's working backstage at the gig, and I called the club, "White Riot" myself. I got us in, and I booked all of us for three nights at the local Hilton, on the band's credit card. It's all taken care of. So, are we all in?"  
  
A chorus of "Yeah!"s were drowned out by Dewey's decisive, "Yes, we'll go. And we'll make them kiss our hard rocking prep school asses!" Upon hearing the A – word, Zack began to color slightly, fortunately in the surrounding sea of ecstasy, nobody noticed.  
  
~*~  
  
Walking home, however, was a different story. Freddy liked to skateboard to and from practices, and, seeing as they lived so close, Zack would walk along with his best friend. Today, however, Zack wished he'd gotten a ride with someone else. Freddy, it seemed, refused to let Zack's earlier slip up go. "I can't believe you like Summer! That stuck up, know – it – all prissy! And what's worse, you didn't tell me!"  
  
"Relax Jones. It's not the end of the world. Besides, how do you know I even like her?"  
  
Freddy stared at his friend dubiously, nearly slamming into a post in the process. "You make a comment that clearly shows you think of nothing but very sexual parts of Summer's body, and then expect me to believe you don't like her? Contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid dude."  
  
"All right, maybe I like her a bit." Zack conceded, then quickly got defensive, "But why not? She's pretty, smart, she listens to our kind of music, she's really nice, AND she has a collection of rare Led Zeppelin patches. Summer is like, my perfect girl! What's the problem?"  
  
Freddy ticked them off on his fingers, "Um, let's see. First of all, she's a total prude. Summer is the only girl at Langford who actually wears her kilt at regulation length, and she does up all the buttons of her shirt. Not that it matters, 'cause she's as flat as a door anyway."  
  
Zack glowered at his friend, and Freddy backtracked.  
  
"Fine, fine, you're not that shallow. But here's the second, and most important reason you cannot, now or ever, act on these feelings you have for Summer."  
  
He paused for dramatic emphasis, and Zack was pretty sure what was going to be said next.  
  
"It would totally screw up the band! I mean, fine you go out with Summer, have your fun, but eventually you're going to break up, and think of how awkward everything would be! I mean, names one successful inter –band relationship. Betcha can't."  
  
Ignoring the challenge, Zack looked at the skateboarder oddly. "You know, I thought you were gonna say I shouldn't go after Summer because she has a boyfriend."  
  
Freddy snorted, "Please, like I'm going to defend and protect the relationship of Mr. & Mrs. All-American ass kissers? Besides, it's not like I have any right to go around preaching on the virtue of fidelity. I'm not exactly Old Faithful."  
  
This elicited a smirk from Zack. Freddy's reputation as a player was widespread at Langford Prep. Yet the girls continued to flock to him anyway.  
  
Freddy turned into his driveway. "Ok dude, this is where I leave you. See ya tomorrow?"  
  
Zack nodded his head. "Tomorrow."  
  
And with that, the taller boy entered his house, leaving Zack the remainder of his walk home to contemplate his new predicament.  
  
~*~  
  
The two weeks leading up to the big trip to Massachusetts were hectic, to say the least. The band's first obstacle was convincing Zack's dad that the trip was a worthy endeavor. Though the older man had become more accepting of his son's passion for music after that first concert, he still held out hope that Zack would "come to his senses and follow in his old man's foot steps". That is, he hoped Zack would go to law school. Of course, once Mr. Mooneyham found out the competition was to be hosted by a Harvard grad, he gave his consent easily.  
  
The second big problem presented itself when Lawrence found out he had a piano recital on the same weekend as the big concert. It wasn't hard to convince the boy to pick the band over the solo, however persuading Mrs. Franklin was a different story. Ultimately she accepted that Lawrence would do whatever it was he wanted to do, though she warned him he might be forsaking his future. Unsurprisingly, he chose to go with School of Rock.  
  
Lastly, two days before the band's planned departure; Katie and Marta had a huge argument over something Marta had allegedly said about Katie in passing. Apparently, Katie overheard Marta telling some people that she (meaning Katie) had a crack habit. However, according to Marta, Katie came in at the wrong time, and what Marta actually said was that Katie bit her nails, and she should crack that habit. In any case, the dispute was settled, with Summer as mediator, and the band was all set to go.  
  
~*~  
  
Or at least, they THOUGHT everything was set. However, the morning of the trip, an entirely different dilemma arose.  
  
~*~  
  
As rays of sunlight poured into the unfamiliar bedroom, Freddy stretched languidly in the warmth, lazily opening an eye. He felt a dead weight on his left arm, and noticed his latest girlfriend, Jenna Armstrong snuggled into his form, her shiny blonde hair splayed out over his chest. He shook her awake.  
  
"Morning Jen."  
  
She squinted at him, "Morning? Oh, hey baby."  
  
"What time is it?" he nudged her off his shoulder.  
  
Glancing over at the alarm clock on her night table, Jenna answered "It's almost ten o'clock. Why?"  
  
Freddy jumped out of bed as if he were scalded. "Ten! What the hell? Didn't I set that thing for eight?"  
  
Feasting her eyes on the view, the girl replied, "Well, yes you did. But I didn't understand why you wanted to wake up so damn early on a Saturday. I thought we'd wake up late, fool around a bit, eat breakfast and then fool around some more. Doesn't that sound great?"  
  
"Normally, I'd jump at that chance, but I was supposed to meet Zack an hour ago. Today's the day of the trip, and now I'll probably have to hitch a ride with Lawrence or somebody. Thanks a lot" Freddy added sarcastically, as he simultaneously attempted to slip his shirt over his head and buckle his jeans.  
  
"You mean you're leaving?" Jenna pouted.  
  
"I'd say so." Freddy headed towards the end of the room, pausing at the door. "Oh yeah, I didn't know how to tell you this, but tonight was our last time."  
  
"You mean - "  
  
"Yep. I've got a date with Eileen Baron when I get back. So, Cry Baby Cry." He quoted the Beatles.  
  
Jenna's face crumpled. "But, but - "  
  
Unfortunately, Freddy had already left, not caring to see the girl break down.  
  
~*~  
  
"So let me get this straight, you just left? You didn't even wait for me?"  
  
"Dude, you were an hour late." Zack attempted to calm the furious drummer down via phone. "We went to your house, and your mom said you'd already left. We figured you went with Dewey."  
  
"What, you couldn't try my cell? And who's we?" Freddy demanded.  
  
"Huh? Oh, Lawrence. His mom had to leave town on business, she was his ride. He showed up early, and asked if I could drive him. See the key word there? EARLY." Despite his sarcasm, Zack felt a pang of guilt as he continued to drive further and further away from Hartford. "Listen, just take your Porsche. I think you can live without me for at least an hour or two."  
  
"Can't. I totaled it the other day, its in the shop. My Dad's still pissed, so I can't ask to borrow any cars of his either. You know what, just . . . forget it. I'll figure something out. Bye." Without giving his friend a chance to reply, Freddy snapped the phone shut. This certainly complicated things.  
  
Mentally, he reviewed the remaining band members available for travelling with. Lawrence was obviously off the list, and he knew Marta and Katie had left earlier with Dewey. Tomika's folks had made a family outing of the occasion, so she and all her brothers and sisters had departed with their parents yesterday evening.  
  
So that left . . . Summer. Shit. 


	3. Highway to Hell

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and that of this chapter is AC/DC (duh)  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: Thanks SO much to all my amazingly wonderful reviewers. You guys are the epitome of cool. No believe me, I'm serious. I'm going to have parades in honour of each of you. Just as soon as I find enough balloons . . . Anyway, I'm quite surprised at how regular (and frequent) my updating has been. Truthfully, I'm never this dependable. Oh and forgive me as I make a complete cliché out of Summer and Freddy's trip. I've always wanted to write a fluffy/angsty car ride . . .  
  
Highway To Hell  
  
Living easy, lovin' free/ Season ticket on a one-way ride  
  
In his lifetime, Freddy had faced many daunting and dangerous tasks. Doing it with some cheerleader at the prom, while her boyfriend was mere dance steps away, for one. Going home and facing his father the same day he smashed his brand new sports car, for another. However, neither of these undertakings nor any other risk he'd ever taken could compare with having to beg a ride from Summer Hathaway.  
  
The fact that she hated Freddy's guts only served to intensify the feelings of nausea and horror battling for control of his system.  
  
Freddy had always prided himself on never needing anything from anybody. With a family like his, one learned not to depend on others, because chances were you'd have your hopes stepped on. Requiring assistance of any kind was equal to weakness in Freddy's mind. And that just wasn't acceptable.  
  
Regardless, here he was, at the door of the Puritan Princess herself, ready to grovel, roll over, and perform sexual favours, whatever it took to get him to that show. What good was a band without anyone to keep rhythm?  
  
Three times, Freddy lifted his fist, set to knock, and three times he thought better of it, and lowered the fist. Finally, on the fourth try he was determined to connect his palm with the stone.  
  
Unfortunately, said stone transformed into a petite teenage girl faster than Freddy could control his reflexes, and the poor guy ended up knocking on a human face.  
  
Summer recoiled. "Ow! What the hell?" looking up and seeing who her assaulter was, her eyes narrowed. "Ugh. It's you. So you've stooped to physical fighting now huh? Are our verbal spars becoming too taxing for your underused brain to handle? You know, as low as my original opinion of you was, I never thought of you as someone who hit girls."  
  
In response, Freddy sneered, "Well I guess our ideas on exactly what qualifies AS a girl differ greatly, don't they?"  
  
"Whatever. I don't have time for this," she rolled her eyes. "Today's the big day, as you've undoubtedly forgotten, and I've got things to do. Now GET. OUT OF. MY WAY!"  
  
As the much smaller girl attempted to sidestep him, Freddy backed up and stepped directly in front of her. "Wait. Don't you even want to know why I'm here?"  
  
Continuing her efforts to escape from her former friend, Summer bit out, exasperated, "Oh, I'm sure it's simply to insult, taunt and otherwise destroy my self esteem. In fact, you probably sat at home last night composing a list of all the clever little insults you could throw at me during our next meeting. And, as flattered as I am, I really have a million other things to do."  
  
Digging her shoulder into his chest, Summer managed to make at least SOME leeway, unfortunately, Freddy was too quick for her, and had both her forearms clenched in death grips in no time. Bluntly, he stated, "I need a ride."  
  
As though she had trouble processing what he said, the captive blinked several times before informing him, "Wow, you really need to brush up on how to ask a favour. First off, insulting the potential generous party is not a smart move. In fact, nothing but positive comments should be spouted from the mouth of the beggar."  
  
"I am not a beggar." came out from Freddy's clenched teeth.  
  
"No, I guess you're not, since you've yet to do any actual begging." Summer looked pensive. "Go on. Plead your case."  
  
Freddy looked at the girl in his grasp incredulously before regaling her with his sob story.  
  
". . . So then, the IDIOT resets the alarm, and by the time I get to Zack's, he and Lawrence are already halfway to Cambridge! See, you HAFTA drive me! Or else, how will the band rock?"  
  
Unconsciously mimicking her companion's previous befuddled expression for a minute, Summer said decisively, "School of Rock will do fine without you. You're not THAT important."  
  
A rage unlike any he'd ever known overcame the musician, and he shook Summer, so that she might feel his fury. "I'M not important? ME? Yeah, sure, I'm only the glue that keeps the music from falling apart."  
  
Summer continued to look him in the eye, challenging him to continue.  
  
And continue he did. "The four ingredients of any basic rock group are; guitar, bass, drums, and a voice. Anything else, like back up singers, or keyboardists, or rhythm guitars, that stuff's just gravy. You wanna talk about unimportant? You're the irrelevant one Summer. What do you think would happen if the band didn't have you? Would we crumble into pieces? No, 'cause we don't need you. In fact, we all see that now that you're hardly ever around. What you do doesn't matter. None of the others had the heart to tell you this."  
  
"I planned this whole trip!" Summer cried in protest.  
  
"Do you honestly think we wouldn't have heard about it? That Dewey would let a chance like this slip through his fingers? Face it, your nerdy, bookish ways aren't needed in the music world, so just do us all a favour and – OWWWWWWWW"  
  
It seemed at that moment Summer decided she couldn't take any of Freddy's abuse anymore, and jerked her knee wildly up to meet his groin. Doubling up in pain, Freddy finally relinquished the girl, and she ran to her waiting vehicle. She would come to regret that sometime during her imprisonment she had dropped her keys, and they now lay innocently on her lawn. Able to manually lock all doors, she was left safe (for the time being), however without the means to go anywhere.  
  
Having all but recovered from his injury, Freddy limped over to Summer's car and knocked on the driver's window. "Listen," he was tempted to call her a bitch, but years of hanging around his parents' country club had enforced certain manners in the teen, especially when a situation concerned conversing with women. "I was SO not finished with you."  
  
Summer turned her head to the right in an effort to hide her tear-stained face. It was simply unfair for him to have the knowledge that he was able to get to her.  
  
Upon seeing that he'd made her cry, Freddy had at least the decency to feel a little guilty, and, leaning against the driver's side door, he slid down to sit on the driveway. "Dude, can you hear me?"  
  
A muffled cry from inside indicated that she could.  
  
"I didn't mean all those things I said." He paused. "Ok, well, I MEANT them, but that doesn't make them true. We don't get along. I've accepted that, and I think so have you. We're like . . . the freaking Beatles and Stones. I mean, we came from the same place, but we're totally different. Plus, you can't agree with both of us. It's one or the other, there is no middle ground with us kid."  
  
Gratified to hear her roll down the window, presumably to hear him better, Freddy took a breath and continued. "But that doesn't mean we can't still respect each other. I mean, you're pretty smart, I can admit that, and you're a good problem solver. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I mean, I don't like you, but its good to have a hyperactive control freak around sometimes. You get things done. So will you please, PLEASE just give me a lift to the hotel? I swear, I'll have my walkman, and my copy of MOJO. You won't hear a sound from me the entire trip."  
  
A heavy silence filled the air around the pair as Summer thought things over. Finally she issued a quiet "Ok," which Freddy would've missed had he not been listening so closely.  
  
"Alright!" the drummer shouted. Sadly, his luck seemed to be at an end, because as he jumped to his feet, elated, Summer eased open her door, hitting the boy squarely in the jaw. Once again Freddy found himself feeling extreme pain, and keeled over on the grass.  
  
Concerned, Summer hurried over. "Oh my god, are you ok? I seriously didn't do that on purpose. I promise. Oh, you must think I'm some kind of sadist, but really, I did forgive you, and I meant it. I'll give you a ride. I'll even . . . I'll even let you drive part of the way."  
  
Appreciating the sentiment, Freddy looked up at the girl, and grinned weakly. "So you've stooped to physical fighting now huh? Are our verbal spars becoming too taxing for your underused brain to handle?" Summer chuckled.  
  
~*~  
  
After taking care of the injuries Freddy had accumulated during the relatively brief interlude on Summer's property, and packing all of the pair's things into Summer's SUV, the drummer and his manager were on the road at last.  
  
"Do you mind if I stop by the mailbox?" Summer asked her passenger, "I've just got to mail something." Encountering no dispute, she posted her package, and they continued on their merry way.  
  
After a few moments of awkward silence, Freddy felt obligated to maintain their bizarre small talk. "So, uh, what was in the package?"  
  
Summer glanced at him sideways. "Oh, um, I'm applying to this really well- known prep school in England, Lancing College. I can start there at the beginning of next year. It'd really help my chances of getting into Oxford. That's my goal, you know. I mean, it used to be Harvard, but that has become such a cliché dream at our school. EVERYBODY wants to go to Harvard. I am nothing if not individual."  
  
"But, if you get into that school . . . what about the band?"  
  
She shrugged. "I don't even know if I'll get in yet. I'll worry about that later."  
  
Content, Freddy leaned back in his seat, and Summer assumed the role of conversation – instigator. "Hey, what about you? Where do you want to go after high school?"  
  
"Summer, can we not do this?" Freddy groaned, "We're not friends. I get that you feel guilty about violating my person. Believe me, I sure as hell feel bad about yelling at you. But let's not mistake our guilt for feelings of actual substance towards each other. I can't stand you. I think you're quite possibly the most annoying, nagging being I know. You get on my nerves faster than my father, and I swear to god, you have a bitter, middle-aged woman trapped inside you who is determined to take the fun out of everything. Just shut up, and drive."  
  
Hands noticeably tightening on the steering wheel, she scowled. "Fine. If that's the way you want it." Abruptly, the brunette reached over and turned on her music.  
  
It took approximately 2.5 seconds for Freddy to launch into another complaint. "Dashboard Confessional? Come ON Summer. You're supposed to be manager of our über-hardcore rock band. Act like it!"  
  
The girl bristled. "What's wrong with Dashboard? Just because they're not DEAD doesn't mean they're not good. I mean, they'll never be my favourite band, maybe never even in my top fifty, but I like them. They play their own instruments, and they write stuff that means something to them. I like that."  
  
"Still, it's EMO. That's like, loser music. Oh, poor me, I've got no friends, I want to cry, but instead I'll write a song. Sob! It's crap!"  
  
Summer narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe you consider yourself a music fan. NO music is crappy; each genre is simply suited towards different tastes. I'm not asking you to become a Dashboard Confessional fanatic, or to go out and buy their CDs. I ask only that you value them as musicians, because whether or not you like their music is unimportant. Quite frankly I don't care if you can't stand EMO, all that matters is that the musicians are getting some sort of satisfaction from their music, and if other people receive a similar feeling, then so much the better. And that, Jones, is what music is all about."  
  
"Wow, what a speech. Feeling pretty proud of yourself?"  
  
Summer merely smirked.  
  
Stifling a yawn, Freddy replied "Whatever. I'm gonna take a nap. I didn't exactly get much sleep last night."  
  
Appalled at what Freddy's word's implied, his female companion managed to choke out, "Sure. Fine. Do what you like."  
  
~*~  
  
It was unfair that Freddy Jones was so pretty. That essentially covered where Summer's train of thought had been ever since the blonde boy had drifted off about half an hour ago. His face was just so perfectly proportioned, each feature adding something to the overall masterpiece. Nothing was too overpowering, instead, his nose, lips, cheeks – his everything - came together, forming a symphony of perfection. She hated that she noticed it, but really, she wasn't blind. Besides, it weren't as though Summer LIKED him. She firmly believed that personality outweighed any aesthetic attributes anyone might have. She was more . . . jealous. Jealous that a boy could possess so much beauty when Summer herself was so plain. Like she thought earlier, it simply wasn't fair.  
  
Possibly in an attempt to stop these thoughts from turning down any paths she was uncomfortable with, Summer veered her vehicle sharply to the right, into the driveway of an outdoor food court, effectively rattling the sleeping beauty awake.  
  
Freddy released a vague half-scream before opening his eyes. "Are we there already?"  
  
Summer shook her head. "Nope, lunch time. C'mon, this is the ultimate road trip stop, I swear they have every food you could possibly imagine."  
  
Scratching his head, Freddy tumbled out of the SUV. Quickly recovering, he walked a few steps to catch up with a very excited Summer. "Oh really? Do they have calamari?"  
  
Her face fell. "Well . . . no," she admitted. "But if you really want sea food, they make great fish and chips!"  
  
"Sounds great," Freddy (still sleepy) mumbled distractedly. "Hey, I'm gonna call Zack, and see if he and the others are there yet."  
  
Summer nodded her head in consent. "Yeah, that's actually a good idea. Want me to order for you?"  
  
Freddy bobbed his head as he walked away to find better reception. The search was quick, and he was dialling Zack in no time.  
  
"Hello?" came the familiar voice.  
  
"Hey buddy it's me."  
  
"Oh, Jones." At first, Zack sounded happy to hear from him, but his tone quickly turned concerned. "You're not pissed at me are you?"  
  
Freddy laughed. "Don't even worry about it Moons. I wouldn't have waited for me either. Besides, I'm managing ok."  
  
"Oh yeah? What, did your dad let you use one of his cars?"  
  
"Actually, no. Believe it or not, I'm travelling with Summer."  
  
Shocked silence.  
  
"Wha – what? You guys hate each other." Zack's stunned voice suddenly reminded Freddy of the crush Zack had on Summer. The guys hadn't spoken on the subject since that one rehearsal, mostly because Freddy had forgotten about it.  
  
"Yeah well . . . Now I know I must sound like one lucky son of a bitch to YOU, but believe me, this trek has NOT been all sunshine and roses. In fact, there's been a lot of rain, and still, no roses. So don't worry about me stealing your woman. That's one chick I'll hand to you on a silver platter."  
  
Zack chuckled. "I wasn't worried."  
  
Despite his previous testament, Freddy was slightly offended by his friend's comment. "Well, why not?"  
  
"Oh come on Freddy. I know you're the king pin at school, but even if Summer didn't hate you, do you seriously think your regular routine would work on her? The girls at Langford all fall for your looks. That's not what Summer wants. She wants personality, kindness, intelligence –"  
  
"In other words, bull shit." Freddy bit out roughly.  
  
"Its not BS if you're sincere, Jones. But what do you care?" Zack lightened up once again.  
  
Freddy responded too quickly, "I don't. Uh, we've still got a long way to go, I think. I'll call you next stop. Bye Moons."  
  
"See ya, Jones." Freddy waited to hear the dial tone before shutting his own phone off. He was greatly disturbed by the things Zack had said.  
  
At the risk of sounding spoiled, Freddy was used to always getting what he wanted. He supposed it came from being the only child of a wealthy family. Growing up, instead of actually being there for the process, his parents preferred to simply give him everything he wanted, that is, except their own time and affection. His requests evolved from year to year, from Hot Wheels, to Play Stations, to his latest prized drum set, but all served the same purpose of making him happy.  
  
Things that couldn't be bought (like girls) were achieved other ways. Freddy had a natural charm, which is so often found in someone good looking, something Freddy also had going for him. The guys looked to him for leadership, and the girls looked at him for enjoyment purposes. Both groups would do pretty much anything for him.  
  
Needless to say, the sole heir to the Jones fortune was not used to hearing the word "No". So hearing that something, or rather, that SOMEONE was out of his league was rather disconcerting.  
  
Moments later, Summer appeared, armed with what looked like enough food to feed a family of 10.  
  
"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I got a bit of everything," she said shyly.  
  
For once, Freddy didn't even try to think of a clever comment that would unnerve his preppy sidekick, he was so lost in thought. Instead, the pair wordlessly sat down and began to work through Summer's mini buffet.  
  
She wasn't too good for him, he told himself stubbornly, this contemplative girl sitting across from him. She wasn't too smart for him, and her standards certainly weren't too high for him to reach.  
  
Somewhere, in the depths of Freddy's mind a plan began to develop. He'd fit the requirements for Summer's perfect guy. He'd make himself fit them, and she'd fall for him (that in itself would be hilarious), and he'd prove to Zack that he could get absolutely any girl he wanted, even uptight little geeks like Summer. Because no one said no to Freddy Jones. 


	4. Desperado

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and that of this chapter is the Eagles.  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: As usual, a gigantic thank you to my reviewers, you guys are making this worthwhile. In fact, I'm so appreciative of your feedback that I've included a specific thank you for each one of you who reviewed chapter 3 at the end of this chapter. Also, I should tell you that the ultimate pairings for this story are still up in the air, as though my favorite SOR 'ship is F/S; Z/S continues to grow on me with each day. Only time will tell I suppose. On with the story!  
  
Desperado  
  
Don' you draw the queen of diamonds, boy  
  
She'll beat you if she's able  
  
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet.  
  
It was highly disconcerting, reflected Summer, to go from traveling with Asshole!Freddy, whom she'd known for nearly six years, to Stoic!Freddy, who had just recently made his appearance.  
  
Honestly, the boy had not spoken since lunch. At first, she'd assumed simply that he was just very hungry. But they'd been back on the road for nearly twenty minutes now, and still not a word. Freddy wasn't sleeping, or reading, he wasn't even listening to music. He was just sort of staring out the window, managing to look focused, while at the same time not focusing on anything at all. Summer desperately wanted to know what was on his mind.  
  
Mind you, she'd rethink that wish if she REALLY knew what was going on inside Freddy's head. That is, he was formulating a scheme to convince Summer he wasn't the jerk she thought he was. It would be difficult, he knew, but he was confidant in his manipulating abilities.  
  
Cautiously, the formerly silent boy ventured, "Hey, wanna put that EMO stuff back on? I'd like to give it another try."  
  
She looked at him as though he'd suggested they listen to Britney Spears. "Seriously? I thought you said it was loser music?"  
  
"Hey, I can change my opinion," said Freddy, defensively. "Besides, I've been thinking about what you said, how all that matters is that the musicians find something in their music, and I think I get what you mean. I want to be able to appreciate songs like you do, Summer."  
  
Summer's face lit up, and Freddy could tell he'd struck gold. Of course, girls like Summer wanted to know that they made a difference, that they're opinions mattered, even to people they didn't particularly like.  
  
He remembered Zack grumbling once about how girls always thought they could change a guy, that they could mold their boyfriends into who they wanted them to be. A completely implausible concept, if one thought about it.  
  
Well that settled it; he'd make Summer think she was changing him, from the rebellious drummer he was into another Austin Latimer. She'd get a kick out of "reforming" Langford's notorious bad boy, and play right into his hand. It was just too perfect.  
  
As the sound of Finch's "What It Is To Burn" began to play in the background, Freddy attempted to sound nervous, "So, um . . . what, uh, what book are you reading these days?"  
  
"Huckleberry Finn . . ." Excellent. He had read that one.  
  
"Really? Man, I love that book. It's the cornerstone of all great American literature." Freddy had to bite back a smirk.  
  
"Ernest Hemmingway said that," Summer stated faintly.  
  
"Oh, well yeah, I guess he did."  
  
"You read Mark Twain," she sounded incredulous, "and quote Hemmingway. I never would've guessed."  
  
She received a charming, and (though she didn't realize it) dangerous smile from her passenger. "Oh, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."  
  
Summer swallowed hard, and Freddy sensed her uneasiness growing. Deftly, he changed the subject. "Hey, let me take the wheel now. You've been driving for almost an hour now, and I can tell you're tired."  
  
She looked at him doubtfully, "Oh, and I suppose you know me better than I know myself? I am NOT tired."  
  
Again, it was difficult for Freddy to suppress a grin. Summer had just unwittingly put him in a position he was well – practiced in, that is, the position to spew romantic bull shit.  
  
"Hey, we were friends before, and I can still read you. Look, when you're tired, you don't yawn like a normal person, but you sit up straighter, and you sort of set your jaw . . ." with apprehension that was genuine, he used his finger to trace her jaw line, causing the girl to stiffen but not push him away.  
  
He kept his finger on her cheek for an awkward moment, before abruptly removing it. "Anyway, I know you're tired. Just pull over and we'll switch."  
  
Confused over what just happened, Summer obliged.  
  
It took only a few minutes to rearrange themselves, however once their journey was underway again, it was even more uncomfortable than before.  
  
Idiot! Freddy chastised himself. Frankly, he didn't mean to touch her, it just seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do. Her skin was softer than he thought it would be, all warm and glowing.  
  
He was also surprised that no powdery substance rubbed off on his finger. All of his previous girlfriends caked on their make up. It made stroking their faces most unpleasant. Summer didn't seem to wear any make up at all.  
  
Suddenly, a rush of quite unjustified anger towards the girl on his right came over him. What right did she have to be just as pretty, if not prettier, than even Head Cheerleader Bridget James, without trying at all? There really was no justice in the world.  
  
Now, she was sitting contentedly in the passenger's seat, legs crossed and doing her homework. Wait, doing her homework? Freddy had to bite back the urge to mock her, instead asking gently, "What are you working on?"  
  
It was almost funny how a simple question could change her face so drastically. Her eyes became bright with passion as she regaled to him the details of her history homework. Did she seriously think he cared? All but blocking Summer's chatter out of his head, Freddy mentally congratulated himself. All right, progress!  
  
~*~  
  
Something was going on with Freddy. Of that much Summer was certain. As concerned as she was when Freddy wasn't talking to her, having him suddenly treating her with respect was even more perplexing.  
  
This was not the Freddy Jones she knew and loathed. Freddy wouldn't just change his mind about EMO, as he was not usually open to anybody's opinion other than his own. And maybe Zack's or Dewey's. But never HER opinion. As skilled a debater she was, Summer highly doubted she'd swayed his thinking that quickly. It was just . . . odd.  
  
And what was with the touching thing? Sensing his finger on her face had taken her aback, highly unsettled. Of course, if she were completely honest with herself, it wasn't an altogether bad feeling. His hand had been gentle, and had sent strange tingling sensations soaring through her body. In fact, when he'd removed it, she'd almost sighed at the loss of contact.  
  
As she continued writing her essay on the War of 1812, Summer felt disgusted with herself. She shouldn't want to be handled by anyone other than her boyfriend, and she ESPECIALLY shouldn't be having these thoughts about Freddy Jones.  
  
Suddenly, a shrill ring interrupted the pleasant silence that had just developed. It came from Summer's cell phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Summer?" Great. Her mother. "Where are you?"  
  
"Hello mother. Um, Putnam Avenue. We're just getting ready to turn onto Trowbridge Street. Why do you ask?"  
  
Her mother ignored her question. "Oh that's right you're on that trip with your band. Did you practice your clarinet?"  
  
Thankful her mother couldn't see her, Summer rolled her eyes. "Yes mom."  
  
"And finished your homework?"  
  
"Sort of. I brought it with me."  
  
"Well, that's fine I suppose. Just get it done. Sorry I didn't see you last night dear, there was a function. How did you do on that English test?"  
  
"A," Summer replied robotically.  
  
"And your philosophy essay?"  
  
"A."  
  
"Excellent. Now what about that chemistry lab?"  
  
Summer hesitated. "Well, it was very complicated, and not that many people did well, and - "  
  
"Summer," came Mrs. Hathaway's stern voice. "I asked you what you got."  
  
"B-" she mumbled meekly.  
  
"Honestly, I knew this was going to happen. You're not working hard enough. How can you ever expect to get into Lancing with grades like that? Well, never mind, you can do extra credit I suppose. Doesn't Austin have a football game this afternoon?"  
  
"Yes," Summer replied dully. "It was at noon."  
  
"And you didn't go?" her mother sounded appalled.  
  
"Well, seeing as I've been on the road for most of the day I'd assume the answer to that question is fairly self evident."  
  
"I don't like your tone, young lady," Mrs. Hathaway reprimanded. "You know, if you don't start paying more attention to that boy he's going to find a new girlfriend who cares about him and actually WANTS to be in his life."  
  
Keeping her indignation out of her voice, Summer merely responded with a tired, "Yes mother."  
  
"Alright than, dear, have a nice day."  
  
Summer hung up. She snuck a look at Freddy, and it was obvious he'd listened to the entire exchange. She sighed. "Wow, you must think I'm an even bigger loser than before."  
  
"You didn't deserve that," Freddy pronounced solemnly.  
  
Years of living with her mother had numbed Summer's perception in regards to that area of her life. "Oh, believe me, I did."  
  
"No, you didn't. Your mother doesn't know how lucky she is to have you for a daughter." If Summer was shocked by the sincerity in his voice, it was nothing compared to Freddy's own astonishment. Because he knew everything he was saying was genuine.  
  
~*~  
  
The next half hour of the voyage was spent in relative silence, both travelers caught up in their own little worlds of new and confusing emotions. Other than the occasional comment on the music, (usually, "I like this song," or "Dewey likes this song", etc.) they did not speak to each other.  
  
Freddy couldn't understand how sometime in the last hour he had gone from being nice merely to manipulate Summer's feelings, to being nice because he felt that was the way she deserved to be treated. He was angry with her, but couldn't bring himself to insult her. And for that, he was angry with himself.  
  
Summer, meanwhile, was at an utter loss as to what was going on. For the majority of this trip, she and Freddy had been quite civil to each other. Somewhere along the way she had forgotten all about the rumors she'd heard about Freddy's womanizing, and the abominable way he treated his girlfriends. She had forgotten that he had an ego larger than his brain, and that he had spent the better part of two years pissing her off. He was different today, and she could almost bring herself to like him.  
  
Right now, all that was certain was that they were Freddy and Summer. For a moment, they could almost pretend everything was like how it used to be, before high school, before they became who they are today.  
  
Right now, Freddy could tease Summer about her dedication to her schoolwork, and it wouldn't come out as an insult, and she wouldn't be offended. Summer could reach over and ruffle his hair playfully, and he wouldn't mind. They could sing along (out of tune) to "Miss American Pie", laughing the whole time. They could do all these things, and none would seem out of the ordinary.  
  
Right now, nothing had changed, but at the same time, everything had.  
  
Unfortunately, this silent bond of understanding could not go on forever, and was broken by a highly disturbing clunking sound that came from the front of the SUV.  
  
"What the hell?" exclaimed Freddy, who swiftly pulled to the side of the road and jumped out of the automobile to see what was going on.  
  
Easily lifting the hood, Freddy looked intently at what was uncovered, namely the engine and various other pieces of machinery. "Uh huh."  
  
"What?" asked Summer anxiously, "What's going on?"  
  
"Not a clue," Freddy admitted.  
  
"But you UH HUH –ED!" Summer protested, "That means you know something. You can't say uh huh when you don't know what's going on, that's misleading!"  
  
"Well I can, and I will. Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh!" Freddy punctuated this last statement with a bizarre little dance.  
  
Summer rolled her eyes. "Ok, we're in the middle of a crisis, and all you can think to do is pull your best John Travolta impression?"  
  
"Crisis? What are you talking about? We passed a gas station five minutes ago. I can walk back and get a guy to help us. So don't freak out."  
  
She managed a small smile. "Fine. But hurry, I don't want to stay alone for too long."  
  
"I will."  
  
~*~  
  
True to his word, Freddy returned less than fifteen minutes later in a pick up truck, with some guy named Glen.  
  
Said mechanic immediately began looking under the hood, although with a slightly more knowledgeable eye than Freddy's.  
  
"You two sure have rotten luck," Glen said wryly.  
  
Worriedly, Summer wondered, "Why do you say that?"  
  
The man then started on some long winded explanation, of which Summer only caught the words "Carburetor", "busted", and "blown".  
  
"If I start to work on it tonight, I'll have her up and running by this time tomorrow," Glen surmised.  
  
"Tomorrow!" the two exclaimed in horror.  
  
"But we have a show tomorrow afternoon!" protested Summer.  
  
Glen looked at the pair thoughtfully. "Well, I'd be willing to drive you young ones to wherever it is you're going . . . that is if you're willing to pay me?"  
  
Freddy nodded his head vigorously. "Excellent!"  
  
Summer too, was enthused. "Great, we're headed to the Beacon Street Hilton, in Cambridge."  
  
"Honey, that's 40 minutes away." Glen looked disheartened.  
  
"So? Is that a problem?"  
  
"Actually, yeah. I've got a family engagement I've got to be back for in an hour. Tell ya what. There's a little motel 'bout 6 miles from here. I'll take you there, you can spend the night, and I'll show up bright and early tomorrow to take you to Cambridge. How's that sound?"  
  
Freddy and Summer looked at each other apprehensively, yet knowing their choices were somewhat limited, agreed with Glen's plan.  
  
In less than twenty-four hours, the couple had gone from hating everything about each other to sharing a room together. The more things change indeed.  
  
~*~  
  
A GIANT thank you to all my reviewers:  
  
JEWELKITTEN – You're right about Freddy not caring about how Zack is going to feel. Can you predict what will happen next? :)  
  
LEAH6 – My first reviewer, I am forever grateful to you. You are also one of my most faithful reviewers. Thank you for your continued support! Oh, and I think Freddy's hot too!  
  
POTATO CHIPPY WEEZER – Awesome name. I looked at your profile and we like a lot of the same bands. You rock, and thank you, I'm pretty proud of my consistency.  
  
J.C – I love that you quoted the movie in your review. A true fan! :Tear: I don't know for sure who will get Summer in the end, but I'll keep your vote in mind . . .  
  
DOLLY – Another one of my most faithful reviewers, I always look forward to your comments. Your reviews make me smile.  
  
ROCKERCHICA – Again, I like a lot of the same bands as you do (especially AFI!). Thanks for your review!  
  
CROAKER – Being a person of few words as well, thank you for your comments!  
  
NESSA'S RUBY SLIPPERS – Bridget and Freddy related? I love the way your mind works. Anyway, I want to explain to you why I'm a Summer/Freddy fan. I think it's because they mirror my favorite 'ship in the Harry Potter world (Draco/Hermione) with the whole "Blonde (HOT!) Bad Ass meets Studious Good Girl". But never fear, there will be a SMALL, TEENSY, INSIGNIFICANT bit of Freddy/Katie in an upcoming chapter.  
  
AUDI KATIA – Thanks for your confidence in me! I hope this meets your expectations! 


	5. When the Sour Turns to Sweet

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and the title of this chapter is from Genesis.  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: Ok, a million apologies to anyone waiting for this story. I officially suck, but in my defense, real life has been quite hectic. Anyway, in this chapter, surprise, surprise, there are other characters! Yes, the Freddy/Summer sappiness is coming to an end. So without further self indulgent babbling . . .  
  
When the Sour Turns to Sweet  
  
You can meet yourself/  
  
Where the sour turns to sweet/  
  
Leave your ugly selfish shell/  
  
To melt in the glowing flames/  
  
Can you sense the change/  
  
See your eyes, now listen/  
  
Glen the mechanic seemed like a nice guy. Actually, in Summer's opinion, anyone willing to help out two teenagers stuck on an unfamiliar road qualified as a nice guy, but Glen seemed especially nice. He had been married for twenty years, and now had four kids, all of whom he described lovingly to Freddy and Summer during their three-minute ride to the motel. Yes, Glen was quite the talker  
  
So Freddy and Summer were quite surprised when, after pulling into the rather seedy looking ''Jaybird Motel'' and letting them out, "nice-guy" Glen held out his hand and demanded twenty-five dollars.  
  
Freddy was incredulous. ''Are you serious dude? We could've walked here in ten minutes and not had to pay anything. Your *ride* was certainly not worth twenty five bucks!''  
  
Glen nodded seriously. ''That's true. But ya didn't walk, so you owe me for saving your feet. I've got two kids in college, and one needs braces, so pay up, Ritchie Rich."  
  
Grumbling, Freddy handed the man his money, and proceeded to grab their luggage from the back, probably with more force than was needed.  
  
After sarcastically waving goodbye to their "savior", Freddy and Summer were left in the dust.  
  
The brunette turned to face her companion. "Hey, let me pay for the rooms."  
  
Freddy opened his mouth to argue, but Summer cut him off.  
  
"No, you paid that jerk Glen, even though it was *my* stupid car's fault that we were even stuck in the first place. At least let me feel like I can do something."  
  
Reluctantly, Freddy nodded. He looked over at what was presumably the reception area, and was slightly shocked to see a leather-clad couple sucking each other's faces like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Wait! Uh, here, let me go register for us. I mean, you can still pay if you really want to; it's just that I have this card thing that might get us a discount. Frequent traveler and all that."  
  
Summer seemed satisfied by this, even it *was* slightly untrue. Freddy wondered why he had a problem with her seeing the other couple pet each other heavily. He shrugged it off as a leftover instinct to protect his former friend.  
  
Upon entering the dingy little lobby, Freddy casually sauntered up to the desk. "Two single rooms please. Preferably nearby each other."  
  
"One for you and one for your imaginary girlfriend, Jones?" It seemed the male half of the PDA couple had somehow pried himself off of his female counterpart, and had come to join Freddy at the desk.  
  
Freddy instantly recognized the guy as a drummer in one of School of Rock's rival bands. As a matter of fact, in a recent drum roll contest, Freddy remembered kicking his poser-punk ass.  
  
"Well, not all of us have whores to bring to *fine* establishments like this. Then again, I guess you don't have many, or any groupies to choose from."  
  
The fuchsia-haired boy, who, if one thought about it, strongly resembled Johnny Rotten, scowled. "You talk big Jones, but apparently can't even get a girl to stay in the same room as you. Or is she just an ugly slut you're gonna screw in her room, and sleep in your own? A fuck and run type thing."  
  
Freddy glowered at the other drummer for a moment, before turning his attention back to the desk clerk. "I changed my mind. I want the most romantic room you've got in this shack. You got it?" The clerk nodded and continued to scan the computer.  
  
When he turned his attention back to the jackass, Johnny Rotten was smirking. "Insecure much Jones?"  
  
"I don't know, you invented the word. I just changed my mind about being a gentleman."  
  
The boy remained skeptic. "Oh yeah? Show me the ugly bitch."  
  
Freddy's insides clenched at the idea of calling Summer such a crude name, which was ironic, because "ugly bitch" was what he'd classified her as since the ninth grade. "If you mean my beautiful girlfriend, she's right over there."  
  
As he pointed to the tiny figure that had remained where he left her, he was shocked at what had just come out of his mouth. Summer? His girlfriend? All right, this defending her thing had gone too far.  
  
But as he began to correct his previous statement, he couldn't help but feel a tiny smidge of satisfaction when Johnny Rotten's face took on an appreciative expression.  
  
Summer actually looked quite good, standing rigidly in the parking lot. Her hair was whipping around her face, and her cheeks were tinted from the cold, so she had a sort of wild look. She wrapped her arms around her slender form, and at that moment she seemed to just radiate femininity.  
  
He thought of touching her cheek back on the road, and suddenly found himself wanting to touch the rest of her too, he wanted to see if she was equally as warm in other places. Thankfully, Freddy's hormone crazed mind was interrupted by the jackass's voice.  
  
"Not bad Jones, not bad at all. After you're done with her, can I try her out?"  
  
The most intense feeling of fury Freddy had ever known swept through his body, and he swung his fist, full power, until it connected with the other boy's face. Promptly, the mediocre drummer fell to the floor, out cold. He looked back to the clerk, who was smiling conspiratorially.  
  
"The best room in the building, mister." He handed Freddy the keys before his voice lowered an octave. "Don't worry. I won't tell!"  
  
~*~  
  
Summer sensed Freddy behind her before she saw him. "Any luck?"  
  
Freddy managed to look somewhat apologetic. "Kind of. It's a busy time, and they're almost out of rooms, so I could only get one."  
  
"Only one?" She was apprehensive. "Two beds though, right?"  
  
Leading the way to their assigned room, Freddy called back, "I don't know."  
  
For something the staff had referred to as the best they had to offer, the room was far from impressive. Of course, not much more could be expected from a motel charging only fifty-five dollars a night.  
  
Summer's fragile hope of having separate cots was crushed when she saw the large, lumpy bed positioned in the middle of the room.  
  
Freddy, however, seemed to have no problem with the layout. He walked right into the suite and flopped down on the offensive piece of furniture. "Is it ok if I take the left side?"  
  
Summer remained stuck in the doorway. "Unbelievable," she muttered.  
  
Freddy looked up, now perturbed. "What? What's your problem?"  
  
"You! I can't believe this. I had this all planned out. I was going to make it to Cambridge by early afternoon, and get everything organized for the show tomorrow, but no. *You* had to come by and screw up EVERYTHING! If you hadn't shacked up with your own mini version of Jessica Simpson, you could've drove with Zack, and you wouldn't have messed up my plan! I hate you, Freddy Jones!"  
  
His eyes widened. "Oh, this is incredible. Freaking great. Yeah, I did this on purpose Summer, you're onto me. I didn't want to get to the show on time, I wanted to mess up your plan, you know, screw with your head a bit. You're even smarter than you're given credit for, catching onto my master plan so quick. 'Cause, you know, this was my dream, to be stuck in a motel with you I could be ANNOYED TO DEATH."  
  
"Well, we wouldn't be *stuck* if you weren't such a spoiled brat. How come you couldn't fix the car, huh? I thought guys were supposed to know this stuff!"  
  
Freddy snorted. "Wow, you're certainly the poster girl for political correctness, aren't you? Whatever happened to feminism, you know, anything men can do women can do too? I thought you were into that crap. And excuse me for having money. I'm sorry if I prefer to contribute to the economy and pay for a mechanic to fix my cars, instead of doing it myself, like I'm sure you're beloved Austin would!"  
  
Summer was taken aback. Where did that come from? Unfortunately, she was really too angry to care. "Yeah, he would, because he doesn't play the part of the poor little rich boy like you do. *Austin* didn't have to have his daddy pay for a new edition to the library, just to get into Langford. *He* got in because he was-"  
  
"Particularly talented at knocking people over?" Freddy interrupted. "Don't worry, I know, but don't act like Austin's my antithesis. Just because he got a football scholarship does NOT mean he's some sort of hero. And I *so* didn't buy my way in, I simply pay tuition, just like you."  
  
Summer growled in frustration, confused over how their argument had suddenly turned to Austin, who honestly didn't have anything to do with the situation at hand.  
  
"Whatever." She took a calming breath. "All right. Ok. Let's just think calmly, and rationally. We're going to have to sleep in the same room. The floor doesn't look particularly comfortable, and that couch is . . . well, I'm concerned over whether that couch is sanitary. So we're both stuck on the bed."  
  
She frowned thoughtfully. "But, that should be ok. We'll just find some extra blankets. I mean, we were friends once, and it's not like we *like* each other or anything."  
  
Freddy muttered something to himself, and Summer was momentarily distracted.  
  
"So . . . right then. I'm sorry I yelled at you." She looked at him expectantly.  
  
Freddy ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "We should call the hotel we were supposed to be at. The band's probably worried."  
  
~*~  
  
Freddy's guess was not that far off. Though the other band members were off doing their own things, Zack was pacing worriedly around the lobby in front of an amused Katie.  
  
"Ok, if they left Hartford at eleven this morning they should have been here by now. Even if they took ten rest stops, they still should've been here at 3:00, latest. What if they're hurt?"  
  
"Relax Zack. You know Summer probably has a million emergency numbers written on her hand for ambulance workers to call in case of an accident. If they were hurt, we'd know about it. Though your concern for your best friend is touching."  
  
Zack turned to look at Katie, before stating grimly. "He's not the one I'm worried about."  
  
Katie's eyebrows rose. "Really. What do you mean?"  
  
Zack frowned in the manner of one trying to collect his thoughts. "Well, it's just that . . . I talked to Freddy today, when they stopped for lunch, and he was kind of . . . I dunno, strange."  
  
"Freddy always sounds strange," Katie joked. "Or do you mean strange even for Freddy?"  
  
"Strange even for Freddy." Zack repeated.  
  
"Huh. So was it a creepy, I'm-a-psycho strange, or was it more of a I've- just-realized-I'm-gay, strange?"  
  
"Katie," Zack reprimanded, "Can't you ever be serious?"  
  
"Sorry." She sat up straighter and put on an expression of mock severity. "This better?"  
  
"Yeah, it's like I'm talking to Barbara Walters now," he answered sarcastically.  
  
At that moment, Dewey strolled in, out of breath, shirt rumpled, lips swollen, all in all looking thoroughly kissed.  
  
Zack exchanged a look with Katie, and cleared his throat. "So, uh, were you with Dominique?"  
  
Dominique Wynn was Dewey's girlfriend. She was the very definition of beautiful, with silver eyes, and silky golden hair crowning a voluptuous body. However, no one in the band had taken a liking to her, not even Freddy, who usually liked anything female. There was just simply something suspicious about her.  
  
In any case, Dewey was completely taken by her, and now he blushed uncharacteristically. "No. Well yes. Perhaps."  
  
Zack simply sighed, sinking into a sofa, and Dewey's twisted paternal instincts kicked in. "Something the matter?"  
  
Looking up at his long time mentor, Zack nodded. "Summer and Freddy. They haven't arrived yet."  
  
Dewey patted his guitarist's shoulder comradely. "No sweat man, I'm sure they're fine."  
  
Zack continued to look frustrated. "Well I'm not so sure. You know Freddy, and his, um, *habits*."  
  
Katie stared at Zack dubiously. "You think Freddy's gonna try and seduce Summer?"  
  
Zack blushed which elicited a scoff from Katie. "Whatever. Have you been listening to N*Sync or something? Because I'm pretty sure you're insane. First of all, Freddy would never touch Summer, he has this strange phobia of inter-band relationships, I should know," she added ruefully, and this only served to confuse Zack further.  
  
"Anyway," the bassist continued, "Summer would castrate him if he tried anything. So you honestly have nothing to worry about.  
  
Katie seemed so sure of what she was saying that Zack's spirits lifted too. He was probably worrying about nothing.  
  
He leaned back into his seat, mimicking the relaxed positions of Dewey and Katie. As the trio began enjoying their luxurious surroundings, he struck up a new conversation.  
  
"So, what were you and Dominique up to?"  
  
Dewey continued to observe his environment, answering distractedly, "Oh, we were just watching Power Hour."  
  
Sensing the knowing glances being shot at him by his group members, the oldest hardcore rocker in Connecticut caved. "Well, *I* was watching Power Hour. Dominique was pleasuring my neck." He waggled his eyebrows.  
  
Both Katie and Zack were disgusted. "Ugh!"  
  
Dewey looked back at them innocently. "What? If ya don't wanna know, ya don't ask. Besides I couldn't watch the stupid show anyway. They were showing the top ten guitar gods, and *Hendrix* was only number nine. HENDRIX! The man who made the Beatles cry out in shame. Today's youth are seriously deluded, man."  
  
"Hendrix was awesome," Zack agreed, "but not nearly as awesome as Jimmy Paige."  
  
"You're both fools!" Katie cried. "Hendrix had a choppy sound, and Paige couldn't shred to save his mother. Slash is the ultimate guitarist. He manages to look cool, while rocking AND putting up with Axle's crap. Now that's talent."  
  
Zack and Dewey looked at her as though she should be put in a straitjacket right away. Thankfully, before they could vocalize this sentiment, a college student donning the mandatory Hilton uniform came up to them.  
  
"Excuse me? Are you by any chance the members of the Hathaway party?"  
  
Katie jumped from her seat. "Yep, that's us. What's up?"  
  
"A phone call came in for you about an hour ago. From a Mr. Freddy Jones? He said that him and his companion are all right, and that they'll be here on time for the show. However, our connection was bad, and we were cut off before we could determine where he was calling from. We only know that he is most likely at some obscure motel in the Wellesley area."  
  
Zack and Dewey copied Katie's earlier action, and hopped to their feet. Dewey jingled his keys and headed to the exit. "Right then. C'mon guys, let's go."  
  
~*~  
  
Freddy always found it strange when traveling tired people out. After all, there really wasn't much to it besides sitting on your ass all day. Summer, on the other hand, seemed to understand this concept perfectly.  
  
Immediately after their argument, Freddy had called the hotel where the rest of the band was, only to encounter more problems. It seemed being in the middle of nowhere meant a crappy connection, and he barely managed to convey their distress to the bellboy.  
  
Disgusted by his luck, Freddy then headed to the shower, ignoring the reproachful looks he was getting from Summer. Stupid girl probably wanted him to apologize.  
  
He took longer than was probably necessary in the shower, mostly because he was cherishing his newfound anger towards Summer. Things had been off between them all day, and he didn't like where his thoughts were going when she was concerned. Being pissed off at each other put them back on familiar ground.  
  
However, as he exited the still-steaming washroom clad in flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt all feelings of antagonism towards Summer disappeared.  
  
She was lying innocently on the bed, dead to the world. Her long dark hair was still pulled back into its sensible ponytail, however she had changed into pink silk sleepwear that oddly reminded him of the virgin princesses featured in medieval legends.  
  
Apprehensively, he crawled into bed beside her, lifting her arm off of his pillow. She didn't wake. Experimentally, he dropped her arm roughly back onto his chest. Still, no movement from Summer.  
  
He remembered hazily that she was a heavy sleeper back in elementary school, and decided she must have carried that habit with her to her teens. Suddenly, it hit him that Summer also had the horrible tendency to sleep talk. Well, horrible and embarrassing for her, but highly amusing to the rest of their little crew.  
  
Just as these thoughts were running through his head, the girl beside him rolled over to face him. Checking to see if she was awake, Freddy followed suit.  
  
Thus, the pair lay face to face, both parties with their eyes open. Freddy was about to tell her to move over to her own side of the bed, when she smiled demurely at him.  
  
It was then that he realized that she was indeed still unconscious, because she hadn't smiled at him like that since their Horace Green graduation.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and drew him closer to her. Freddy knew this was wrong, knew he should push her away, but for some reason he was having a hard time remembering why.  
  
"Austin," she whispered. There, that was it. He couldn't do this because she didn't even know what was going on. She thought she was making out with her boyfriend, when in reality she was laying next to someone she hated. It was just . . . wrong. However, his traitorous body didn't seem to agree, because when he should have shook her out of whatever untroubled dream Summer was enjoying, Freddy instead cupped her face with his hands.  
  
She looked at him warmly, with the unmistakable look of someone in love, and suddenly, Freddy felt sick, because he knew, even with all the girls he had dated and known in his life, not one of them looked at him with big, admiring eyes like this.  
  
But Freddy didn't have time to feel sorry for himself for long, because Summer had pressed her lips to his, softly, kindly, just for a moment, before falling back into her deep slumber.  
  
Freddy turned back to face the ceiling and swallowed hard. He knew it'd be awhile before he could do the same.  
  
~*~  
  
THANK YOU'S:  
  
MELLOWYELLOW36 – I can honestly promise you that no harm will come to Zack in this story. Hope you like!  
  
MAIGAIN – I love Freddy/Summer too! Well, I guess that's obvious, and I agree with you about all those Freddy/Katie fics, although I've found a couple that don't annoy me so much.  
  
NAGETA – I love your idea about Tomika, and I'm trying to think of a way to work that into this story.  
  
ROCKERCHICA – I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks both F/S and Z/S are adorable 'ships!  
  
MEG – I hope this satisfies the need for Freddy/Summer-ness, at least until next time. And Freddy is pretty hot!  
  
RHAPSODY-CHILD-OF-THE-SKY – I never thought of Zack/Katie before, but now I really think it makes sense. I'm toying with the idea of that pairing, but you never know . . .  
  
SECRET AGENTISH – I'm always glad to find another music lover, especially here in the SoR fandom because really, that's what the movie's all about! Thanks!  
  
LADYBUG11 – Yeah, the motel thing is a huge cliché, but I love writing it. I hope this chapter meets your praise!  
  
AUDI KATIA – I hope the somewhat limited Freddy/Summer action didn't disappoint you. I was planning on a more intense make out scene, but it didn't seem to fit their relationship at this point. Please don't hate me!  
  
J.C – I wonder if this chapter has made Freddy/Summer anymore realistic? Oh, and I'm glad to find another Leather and Libraries shipper!  
  
JEWELKITTEN – No, the rating remains the same. Like I said before, I really don't think Freddy and Summer were ready (in this story) to have much of a physical relationship. That will come in due time though, let me assure you.  
  
WISEOLDMAN – Thanks! An author always likes to hear their work is original!  
  
CROAKER – You deserve an extra-long response, and a virtual hug. I loved your reviews (all of them); they made me smile, and giggle. Of course, I was in a public place at the time, and earned some odd looks from nearby people, but I didn't care. Of course, you are now a faithful reviewer, and I sincerely hope my prolonged absence doesn't mean I lost you as a reader! Thank you for taking the time to send me such great reviews. This chapter is dedicated to you!  
  
DOLLY – Well, you can see the relationship between Freddy and Summer continue to develop . . . at the speed of a stoned turtle. Thanks for the review!  
  
PRINCESS642 – Hooked huh? Well, here's another dosage, and I promise to keep them coming. Oh, and thanks for the cookies.  
  
MIRAGED – I'm so happy that even though you are a Freddy/Katie fan, you are taking the time to read my story. Here's a spoiler just for you (and anyone else who reads this): there will be a Freddy/Katie scene next chapter. A small one, but it's pretty important.  
  
VANYAMORNIE – Hee hee, I'm a goddess? That's a first. You are now officially one of my favorite people! Ooh, and I love your idea about the groupies, that's SO going in a future chapter!  
  
POTATO CHIPPY WEEZER – So have I semi-converted you to the land of Freddy/Summer goodness? I certainly hope so!  
  
THE CHEEZHEAD – And the plot gets even thicker. It's like, plot-stew or something now, and the characters are about to get stuck. DUN DUN DUN!  
  
LEAH6 – I always look forward to your reviews, so thanks a lot! I hope you didn't lose interest during my sabbatical. 


	6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and that of this chapter is from George Harrison.  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: Well, I'm thrilled to see you all still seem to be enjoying this story, and I'm even happier that everyone has kept an open mind regarding the Freddy/Summer ship. See? I told you you'd like it! Alas, in this chapter other more, shall we say, *conventional* ships will be explored. Oh, and don't count Zack out just yet! He has liked Summer longer than Freddy, and won't give her up without a fight! All right, now that everything's settled . . .  
  
While My Guitar Gently Weeps  
  
I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping/ While my guitar gently weeps/ I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping/ Still my guitar gently weeps/  
  
Honestly, Summer should have seen this coming. After all, from fighting over music, to getting stranded in a seedy motel, her entire journey with Freddy had fit the teen soap-opera "wayward road-trip" cliché to a T. So waking up in a compromising situation with the blonde drummer really should have been expected.  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body out of its predicament. She was lying with her back to her companion's stomach, so close that there was literally no space between the two. Freddy's calf had somehow draped itself around her own two legs, and his arm lay indecently close to her chest.  
  
For her part, Summer seemed to have unconsciously searched out the warmth provided by Freddy's body, as nothing else could explain their closeness. Her own hand was wrapped around the boys arm, keeping it in its aforementioned personal position.  
  
Yes, Summer Hathaway, consummate over-achiever and receiver of straight A's; was spooning with Langford's own version of Hugh Hefner.  
  
And yet, she didn't push him off her, like she knew she should. Here was the boy she professed to hate, pressed more intimately against her person than she had ever allowed her own boyfriend to be, and the feelings of disgust and violation she expected to overwhelm her never came.  
  
Perhaps it was the sensation of his hot breath on her neck, or maybe the pleasant weight of his legs on her own, or even just knowing that she was living out the dreams of almost every other girl at school. In any case, Summer felt as though she almost . . . wanted him there.  
  
Fortunately, (or perhaps unfortunately) this train of thought was cut off by a sudden knock on the door.  
  
"Summer?" The voice yelled. "Freddy? Are you in there?"  
  
Summer immediately recognized the voice as Zack's, and her face took on a "deer-in-headlights" expression. In vain, she attempted to disengage herself from its current position.  
  
"Tactful." Another voice, Katie's this time, commented. "Seven in the morning, and you choose to do your best Bon Scott impression? Man, you'd think you were rescuing our darling band-mates from a gang of unruly hip- hop artists, instead of from the perils of highway travel."  
  
Despite her compromising situation, Summer smiled at her best friend's patented sarcasm.  
  
Zack knocked again, this time with more force. "C'mon guys! We're – well, *I'm* – freaking out here. Open up!"  
  
Summer nudged Freddy frantically. "Freddy! Wake up!"  
  
She succeeded merely in causing him to roll over onto his back, unluckily bringing her with him. Now, he lay (with Summer lying face down on his chest) precariously close to the edge. Freddy opened his eyes lazily, slowly taking in his surroundings. "You're beautiful," he observed sleepily.  
  
With that, Summer fell out of bed.  
  
The resounding thump she made attracted the attention of Zack, still waiting anxiously outside the door.  
  
"What the hell?" he shouted, "Guys! I'm coming in there!"  
  
At the sound of his best friend's worried voice on the other side of the entrance, Freddy sat up.  
  
"Is that . . ."  
  
"Zack," Summer affirmed from the floor, rubbing her elbow.  
  
Both teens stared at the door, half expecting an incensed Zack to come barreling in, ripping off the offending entry way in the process.  
  
Instead, the lock turned, and the guitarist entered calmly, Katie by his side. Unfortunately, Zack's supposedly "relaxed" manner faded slightly when he saw two of his friends lying guiltily on a rumpled bed. Well, Summer was on the floor, but that was beside the point.  
  
Barely able to contain his anger, Zack pointed a finger at Freddy. "You. Outside, now."  
  
Mutely, Freddy obliged.  
  
~*~  
  
Once outside, the two boys stared at each other challengingly, much like two opposing wild animals.  
  
Zack was the first to break the testosterone-filled silence.  
  
"What the hell happened?" he growled.  
  
"The car broke down," Freddy answered mildly. "And some loser who, by the way, now has Summer's car, gave us a ride to these five-star accommodations."  
  
Zack gave him a look that clearly showed his skepticism. "And why were you sharing a bed? Or were you a gentleman, and Summer slept on the floor?"  
  
He used the same line that had worked on Summer. "They were out of rooms."  
  
"Bull shit Jones. Their 'Vacancy' sign is so bright it's almost obnoxious. The guy at the desk practically begged me to rent a room. Admit it, you want Summer."  
  
Freddy opened his mouth to object, before realizing denying this would be a lie. And Zack had always been able to tell when Freddy was lying.  
  
The darker haired boy gave a mirthless laugh. "Unbelievable. Un- fucking-believable. You know, I've put up with a lot of crap from you Jones. Ever since we started highschool, you've delved into some pseudo 'Playboy' lifestyle, but I accepted it, because we're friends. I hung out with people I don't even *like*, because they're your 'buddies', I explained to countless girls that you're not an asshole, you just have commitment issues. I even stood up for you when the band thought you were becoming a total diva. And what do you do?"  
  
"It's not what you think, Moons."  
  
Zack shook his shaggy-haired head. "Oh no? Spoiled rich-boy, Freddy Jones thinks he can get any girl in school, and that everyone just loves him. Except for one person: Summer, the girl you KNOW I like. But you went after her anyway, huh Jones? Why, just to prove that you could?"  
  
"It's not like that." The drummer was shot a look. "Ok," he conceded, "Maybe in the beginning I wanted to prove that I could get any girl I wanted. You're right. I was an ass. But everything's different now."  
  
He looked to Zack for any sign of understanding, but the guitarist simply motioned for him to continue.  
  
"I really like her, dude. She's pretty, and she's smart, and she really cares about stupid things like homework. Listen, I've . . . *been with* many girls, but none of them ever made me feel the way Summer does just by being near me. She's amazing, the way she . . . ugh, forget it. I can't do this sappy Shakespearean crap. I can't compare her lips to some flower, or anything, that's just not me. All I know, is I want someone – her – to look at me with the same intensity she has when she looks at one of her books, or when she's talking about EMO or whatever."  
  
Freddy sank down to lean against the wall. His face was truly one of someone in complete anguish and desolation. Zack had seen his friend's reaction to many situations; both good and bad, but never had the blonde looked so vulnerable.  
  
It was then that he realized that Freddy wasn't, for once, lying. He was telling the truth, he was honestly falling for Summer. And although this new element pissed Zack the hell off, he could understand where Freddy was coming from.  
  
Thus, he clapped Freddy's shoulder, his way of conveying that things between them were okay.  
  
"Ok man. We're good. Besides, it seems kind of pointless to fight over her now. She is after all, still with Austin."  
  
Freddy's face darkened. "Oh yeah. God I hate him. What a loser."  
  
Zack smirked, and joined Freddy on the ground, undoubtedly to exchange more information regarding any and all of Austin Latimer's flaws.  
  
~*~  
  
Back in the room, the girls were demonstrating their own idea of the proper way to greet one's best friend.  
  
As the boys left, Katie jumped onto the bed. "Hey, Pixie! Did Freddy make you sleep on the floor?"  
  
Summer immediately got to her feet. "Of course not," she said defensively.  
  
Katie rewarded her with a speculative eye. "Ah. So then you slept in the bed. With him."  
  
"No!" the shorter girl protested. "Well, sort of. Yes," she finally admitted.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Katie had a twinkle in her eye. "Although I wonder how good old Austin might feel about his straight-laced girlfriend sleeping with the Zack Morris of Langford. Huh."  
  
"You wouldn't!" Summer shrieked before simultaneously throwing a pillow and hurling her own body at her friend.  
  
Easily protecting herself from her tiny assailant, Katie chuckled. "Relax, Tinkerbell. You know I would never do that to you and the Beav. First of all, he'd take off at the first sign of my punk-rock face."  
  
Summer frowned. "Hey, Austin likes you. He just thinks you're a little . . . different. In a good way of course," she quickly amended.  
  
Katie continued as though she hadn't heard the other girl speak. "However, in exchange for my silence, I want to hear ALL the dirty details from last night!"  
  
Summer was horrified. "Katie! There ARE no dirty details! Freddy and I don't even like each other!"  
  
"Ah, but you know what they say about love and hate," said Katie wisely, leaning back against the headboard.  
  
"That there's a thin line between them?"  
  
"Well, maybe that too. But I meant that both can equal great sex!"  
  
For the second time that morning, Katie found herself being attacked by a pillow.  
  
"Ugh! I can't believe you said that! Just . . . ugh! I would never even think about doing that with anyone, especially Freddy!"  
  
Katie held up her hands. "Wait! You mean . . . you're a virgin?"  
  
Summer nodded her head slowly. "Yeah . . . oh c'mon Katie, it's not that big a deal. I mean, I would *tell* you if something . . . like that . . . happened. You're my best friend."  
  
'Yeah I guess. Wow, I just, I always thought that you and Austin were . . . you know . . ."  
  
A bashful smile graced the corners of Summer's mouth. "Well, we've *talked* about it, but I'm just not ready. I want to wait for that one special person."  
  
"And you don't think Austin's it?"  
  
"No . . . he is. I just want to make sure. Besides, we both decided it's better if we wait. That way we know if what we have is real."  
  
Katie tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. "I know what you mean. I wish I had waited."  
  
Summer crawled over so that she was next to Katie. She wrapped her arms protectively around her friend, and leaned her head on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey, Posh, it's alright. We talked about this, remember? That night, it doesn't count. Technically, you *are* still waiting."  
  
Katie pulled her face into a brave smile. "I guess so. Hey, Sum?"  
  
The smaller girl made a small sound in reply.  
  
"You never answered my question. What's up with you and Mr. Jones?"  
  
A blush stained Summer's cheeks. "Well, first of all, it's not like I meant for this to happen. It wasn't some big plot, for me to get Freddy Jones in my bed and have my way with him."  
  
"But did you?" Katie prodded, "Have you're way with him, I mean."  
  
"Hey, one cannot be responsible for what happens during their sleeping hours. Apparently both Freddy and myself move around a lot at night. We also seem to both covet human warmth."  
  
Reading between the lines, Katie seemed to catch the general gist of what Summer was saying. "Oh my god, Summer! You spooned with Freddy!"  
  
"Actually, I prefer the term snuggled. Or perhaps nuzzled. Canoodled, even. But definitely not spooned. That sounds so . . . Courtney Love."  
  
Katie laughed out loud. "Oh Summer. Summer, Summer, Summer, Summer, Summer." With each repetition, she tickled her friend's neck, causing her to squeal and move randomly around on the rumpled sheets.  
  
Just then, the boys walked back in. Upon seeing the two girls, Freddy stopped mid-strut.  
  
"Holy crap! I knew it! I knew that someday, a god would answer my prayers, and would deliver me some hot girl-on-girl action. I just never knew it would be here. Carry on girls, you won't even notice I'm here!"  
  
Zack leaned against the wall, chuckling.  
  
Mortified, Summer leapt to her feet, bringing the blanket with her in an effort to cover herself, which, considering her conservative nightgown, was quite unnecessary.  
  
In contrast, Katie stayed right where she was. "Aw, Jones you should've got here earlier. We had the mud bath out, and some bondage tools. Sorry, you snooze, you lose."  
  
"You don't expect us to believe that, do you? Summer would never be involved in a mud bath."  
  
Summer shot Zack an appreciative glance, however, it came too soon.  
  
"Bondage, maybe, but mud baths? Much too grimy for the little princess."  
  
Quickly, the thankful expression the girl wore turned into a glare. In an effort to redeem himself, Zack took Summer by the shoulders, guiding her to the washroom.  
  
"Alright now, go shower and get ready. Dewey's waiting for us in his van. Hurry, there's only so many times he can listen to "Dark Side of the Moon" before even HE gets bored."  
  
~*~  
  
The ride back to Cambridge was . . . tension filled, to say the least. Despite the light hearted banter which had filled the hotel room, it was clear that things were not as normal between them as the four teenagers would have themselves believe.  
  
Freddy didn't miss it when Zack elbowed Katie out of the way so that he could snag the seat next to Summer. He did, however, miss the huge grin that covered Summer's face when he himself took the seat on her right.  
  
Katie didn't miss it when Summer began to absently draw circles on Freddy's knee. She did, however, miss Zack's grand display of impulse control when he began to tuck a strand of Katie's own hair behind her ear before abruptly stopping the motion.  
  
Summer, for her part, didn't miss the fleeting looks Katie sent Zack throughout the duration of the trip. She did, however, fail to notice that when Freddy began to use her head as a pillow, he wasn't really asleep.  
  
Zack did, however, notice this not-so-subtle move of Freddy's. What HE missed was Katie's gradual shift in position, so that she was eventually pressed shoulder for shoulder against his person.  
  
Finally, Dewey noticed all of these bizarre actions conducted by his band mates. He didn't say anything, however. He was far too upset that there had been no fight for shotgun.  
  
~*~  
  
It was noon when Dewey's rusty van pulled into the immaculate front drive of the Beacon Street Hilton, exactly 25 hours after Freddy and Summer first began their hapless journey.  
  
The group piled out of the van, and into the lobby, where a familiar collection of faces was waiting. In addition to Marta, Tomika and Lawrence, whom they had been expecting to see, was the entire old crowd; meaning everyone from their original fifth grade class at Horace Green.  
  
There was Gordon, armed as always with his laptop, and Billy, speaking animatedly to Frankie and Leonard who, from the looks of it were trying hard not to fall asleep. Eleni and Michelle had each grabbed one of the singers, and were now experimenting with Marta and Tomika's hair. Marco, meanwhile, was caught up in a chess match with Lawrence. Seeing all their old friends scattered throughout the foyer was truly heartwarming.  
  
Katie and Zack rushed forwards to greet everyone, but Freddy and Summer lingered behind. Unlike the others, Summer did not look shocked or surprised, but rather as though she had expected this.  
  
Freddy turned to her. "You planned all this, didn't you?"  
  
"Well, you guys don't have a chance at winning without a good, solid, support system. Besides, after I told them what was up, they all wanted to come. It was really nice, actually."  
  
Freddy gave a little half smile. "You're really cool sometimes, you know that Summer?"  
  
Just then, Eleni and Michelle noticed Summer's presence.  
  
"Sum!" they called. "Oh my gosh, you have to see this guy at the gym. He's SO HOT! Like, the hottest guy we've ever seen, I swear, you'll think so too!"  
  
Freddy's fists clenched at the idea of Summer fawning over another guy. Thankfully, his insecurities were unfounded, as Summer simply rolled her eyes.  
  
"Thanks guys, but I'll pass. I've got a load of paper work to do before the preliminary concert today; safety forms, practice schedules, and everything. Actually," she checked her watch, "I should get going now. Remember everyone, meet me at White Riot at 3:30. We're not on 'til five, but we really need to get organized. I left the address, and a copy of my binder with Dewey, but just in case, the hotel staff has another copy, as does Katie. Oh, and I gave Marta one, and Tomika, and -"  
  
Freddy cut her off. "We get it, you've got everything under control. Get out of here!"  
  
Suddenly, Zack sauntered back to the group. "Hey, Summer, we can take my car. I've got to go to the club too. I wanna check on the amps . . . and stuff."  
  
Freddy glared at the guitarist, who looked back at him innocently before jingling his keys. "Ok then, Tink, ready to go?"  
  
~*~  
  
One thing Summer had always really liked about Zack was that he was really easy to be around. Unlike many guys his age, Zack didn't judge people; in fact he was pretty accepting of everyone. He didn't make crude jokes, or hit on every breathing female around, or act like some big man on campus just because he was in a band. Everyone felt comfortable around Zack; he made them feel like they belonged.  
  
Once they arrived at the club, Zack whistled. "Impressive. Man, this has to be ten times bigger than any gig we've ever played before."  
  
Summer smiled. "30,000 seats over 3 floors and 8 private balconies. There's also a dance area, which I expect will turn into a mosh pit come concert time. Backstage is home to state of the art equipment, as well as 27 dressing rooms. Tonight, we share, but if all goes well we will have our own for tomorrow night."  
  
"Wow. You really know you're stuff. Listen, Summer, what you did, you know, inviting the old crowd, that was pretty punk of you."  
  
She looked to the floor modestly.  
  
"I mean it. Hey, I've gotta tell you something." He pulled her into one of the aforementioned 30,000 seats.  
  
"I've been worried for a long time about the band. Everything got screwed up once we hit high school. Remember what Katie wrote in all of our eight grade yearbooks? 'Friends Forever'. What a joke. None of us have really been friends for two years, not even Freddy and me. We've all been too caught up in our own lives, and we forgot what's really important."  
  
"The music?" Summer guessed.  
  
"No, besides that. Our *friendship*. You guys all mean a lot to me. It sucked when the band started to fall apart. But now, everything's almost good again. Thanks, Summer."  
  
The girl looked confused. "Me? What did I do?"  
  
"Well, bringing back the rest of the band, for one. Although I really mean making peace with Freddy. It's been really hard on everyone to relive the Beatles drama. Freddy being Paul, you being John, and Austin being Yoko Ono. I think this trip was exactly what we all needed. So really, thanks."  
  
Summer, now brimming with emotion, pulled her friend into a hug.  
  
A cough came from behind, causing the pair to turn around.  
  
"Hey, Summer Hathaway?"  
  
"Yeah? Oh, are you Greg Latimer? Austin's cousin?"  
  
The curly haired man, who bore a striking resemblance to his cousin, nodded, apparently choosing to ignore the scowl which had settled over Zack's normally fine features.  
  
"That's me. Ok, so you have a tour of our facilities arranged for 1:00. That would be now, so are you ready?"  
  
~*~  
  
Almost immediately after Zack and Summer set off for "Whit Riot", the rest of the group meandered off to experience some of the activities the hotel had to offer.  
  
Freddy, however passed on going to the pool, the gym, even the arcade, choosing instead to sit in his room, and brood.  
  
A knock came at the door. "Room service."  
  
Even without getting a response from Freddy, Katie nonchalantly entered the room.  
  
"Hey . . . Wow, this Zack/Summer pseudo date is freaking you out more than I thought it would."  
  
Freddy scowled. "It's not a date."  
  
Katie thumped his shoulder. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."  
  
Taking her wrists in his hands, Freddy positioned Katie so that she was straddling him. "Zack doesn't have a chance with her."  
  
Katie cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? And why not? He may not be as smooth with the ladies as you, but he's no Michael Jackson. In fact, Zack is adorable."  
  
"Ah, so you like him. What a headline: 'Rebel Without a Cause Woos Sarcastic Nice Guy. You two will have beautiful children."  
  
Freddy was rewarded with a sharp jab to his stomach. "Don't be a prick, Freddy."  
  
"Funny." He replied caustically, "I remember you as being somewhat more gentle. And tender."  
  
With a roll of her eyes, Katie retorted, "Yeah, I was a regular Doris Day. And I thought we weren't going to talk about that anymore."  
  
Freddy wriggled his eyebrows. "Well, we don't have to *talk* . . ."  
  
In vain, Katie attempted to free herself from his lap. "You are such a bastard. I forgave you for what you did, Jones, but I didn't forget about it, and I certainly didn't give you permission to joke about what happened. Oh my god, I'm such a loser, thinking that you changed. You think ZACK doesn't have a chance with Summer? Neither will you if I have anything to say about it." She continued to fume silently.  
  
Seeing that he'd gone too far, Freddy backtracked, rubbing his hands soothingly around Katie's shoulders. "I'm sorry Katie, you're right. I'm being a jerk. What else is new?"  
  
"You don't usually do self-deprecating, do you?"  
  
Freddy shook his head. "Not really, no."  
  
She chuckled half-heartedly. "You're not a jerk, Freddy Jones, I'm just a little sensitive." She switched into protective best friend mode. "Hey, are you serious about Summer? Or are you going to screw her (no pun intended) like you usually do your girlfriends?"  
  
Freddy began methodically picking the lint off of Katie's shirt. "Nah. She really is different, Kay. I mean, sure we fight like we're Eminem and . . . who's he mad at these days?"  
  
Katie shrugged, motioning for him to get back on topic.  
  
"Whatever, so yeah, we argue. But I've never had this much fun with a girl without her tongue being in my mouth. She's different."  
  
It was then that he noticed Katie was biting her lip, usually a sign that she was nervous about something. He tilted her chin with his finger so that she was looking him in the eyes. "Katie? What's up?"  
  
Katie averted her eyes. "Ok, please don't be mad, I mean, she's my best friend, and we tell each other everything, especially stuff that's this big, and she always seems to know what to do, and-"  
  
Freddy cut off her ramble by placing a finger on her lips. "Katie, what's going on?"  
  
She hesitated a moment more before finally looking him in the eyes. Freddy paled as he realized what Katie was about to say.  
  
"Summer knows. About us. About everything."  
  
SHOUT OUT'S  
  
MADDIE – Thanks. I can't wait to see what you're working on, I'm positive it's better than you think it is. Often, I think what I'm posting is completely crappy, but then I get some amazing reviews and I realize it's not that bad. Remember, you are your own toughest critic. Could you email me when you post? I'd love to read your stuff. And I hope this chapter has nullified your worries over Zack "the puppy". He's not going to get hurt in my story!  
  
K_C'S_BAD_GIRL04 – Well, I'm certainly leaning towards Freddy/Summer, but you never know where the muse will take you. I know my updating hasn't been as steller as it used to be, I'm working on that.  
  
PRINCESS642 – Hey, always nice to meet another DR/H shipper. Are the similarities found in my F/S a little bit eerie? Oh, and thanks for adding me to your Favourites, that does wonders for my ego!  
  
ROCKINBASSGURL – I love that you're reading (and reviewing!) this story even though the pairing isn't your favorite. Go you for keeping an open mind!  
  
POTATO CHIPPY WEEZER – As usual, your review made me blush! I'm thrilled to have found another F/S shipper; there aren't enough in this world! For joining early, you get first class tickets, and the official position of Freddy's Masseuse. Hope this keeps you happy . . .  
  
ROCKERCHICA – Ha, that's funny. Dark SoR forces are at work here! Oh, could you tell me what commercial the song was in? I'm quite obsessed with the Clash, and anything related to them!  
  
ANGELA – I wonder if there is a twelve-step program to help people like us get over our SoR addiction? Thanks for your kind words, and yes, Freddy is almost shamefully hot.  
  
DOLLY – I think it's hilarious that you don't like Austin, when he is yet to have a line. I guess it just shows how perceptive you are, because he really will be a bit of an ass. Summer's reaction to the kiss, as well as further development of Z/K will be seen next chapter!  
  
LEAH6 – Hey, pairings are pretty much still up in the air, but don't waste any tears over Zack. He will definitely have someone by his side at the end of this story. Thanks, as usual for your praise, and especially for sticking with me despite my prolonged absences.  
  
MIRAGED – To my surprise, I'm actually enjoying writing the F/K scenes, so there will actually be more next chapter. Katie didn't have much of a character in the movie, so I've kind of taken artistic license with her. Hope you still love her and this story!  
  
MAIGAIN – Aw, thanks so much! I can only hope you love this chapter as much as the last one!  
  
THE CHEEZ HEAD – As you can see, things continue to get even more confusing for our favorite teenage rockers! Hope you like!  
  
MELLOWYELLOW36 – I love getting these little endnotes too, almost as much as writing them. I think it's pretty important for an author to communicate with the audience, because often they have great ideas to add to the story. Thanks, enjoy! 


	7. Communication Breakdown

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and that of this chapter is from Led Zeppelin.  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: Wow, it's been awhile huh? I sincerely hope the SoR fandom hasn't gone down the tubes while I was traveling, for that would be too tragic for words. Keep your interest people! At least until I'm done with this story, which should have 4 or 5 more chapters. Anyways, this is the chapter you've been waiting for folks, the one with all the kissage! I have a couple of make-out scenes planned, so if you don't like that sort of thing, turn back now. Nothing will be too graphic, so I'm keeping my rating as it is. Enjoy.  
  
**Communication Breakdown**  
  
_Hey, girl stop what you're doin'/ _

_Hey girl, you'll drive me to ruin/ I_

_ don't know what it is that I like about you, but I like it a lot/ _

_Won't let me hold you, let me feel you lovin' charms/_  
  
Freddy stared at Katie blankly for a few minutes before choking out "Sh – she – she knows? About us? What happened with us?"  
  
Meekly Katie nodded. "Well, kind of."  
  
Without thinking, Freddy abruptly stood up, knocking Katie off his lap and onto the floor. "What d'ya mean, kind of? She knows about the summer? Well, obviously," he answered his own question. "I mean, everyone knew about that, everyone except Zack, of course."  
  
The summer between eighth grade and high school is traditionally a time of transition, a period of anxiety, excitement and nerves. This was especially true for Katie and Freddy, as they were the only members of the band that stayed in Hartford that summer.  
  
Lawrence was at some science camp in Nevada, while Tomika, Marta and Alicia (who, at that point was still living in the area) were helping out Tomika's aunt, who managed a theatre in New York. Zack was traveling around Europe with his father on business, and finally, Summer was spending the holiday at her parent's vacation home in Martha's Vineyard. Essentially, Dewey's old flat was pretty empty.  
  
Except, of course, for Freddy and Katie. Obviously the two spent a lot of quality time with each other: playing video games, attempting to cover Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and whatever else they found to occupy their time.  
  
Eventually, however, their friendship took a turn neither had expected.  
  
The two teens were lounging around the apartment after a particularly frustrating jam session. To be honest, their music kind of sucked with just a bassist and a drummer. Freddy remained slouched behind his drums, while Katie absently traced around his crash cymbal. Then, with literally no warning she swooped down on the blonde, and covered his lips with hers.  
  
Though Freddy had understandably been surprised, he did not object to Katie's actions, instead maneuvering quickly around the drum set so that he and the girl were at level. He cupped her face, and kissed her thoroughly.  
  
Thus, the perfect summer fling began. Really, both should have realized it wouldn't last; after all, relationships that use making-out as merely a diversion are usually doomed for failure. But somehow their time together didn't seem cheap, or meaningless, or even insincere.  
  
They were living out grade-school crushes, the fantasies of a bygone age. It was a no-strings-attached outlet for all the unresolved sexual tension that lay between them, but it remained mostly innocent. Certainly, nothing Freddy could ever brag about in the locker room.  
  
For a brief moment it looked like the fling might blossom into a full-blown relationship, as when the others gradually returned home, Freddy and Katie made no secret out of their romantic activities.  
  
Surprisingly, everyone was quite happy for the pair. Or perhaps their encouragement wasn't that much of a surprise. After all, at that time they were all still friends.  
  
The only person Freddy was hesitant to share the news with was Zack. The guitarist was staying away two weeks longer than everyone else, so invariably he would be the last one to find out, but Freddy wondered whether he should tell Zack at all.  
  
Though many good things could be said for the brown haired boy, Zack had some abandonment issues, as well as a severe aversion to change. His mom left when Zack was too old to ever forget her, yet too young to understand why she was gone. After that, he was careful about letting people get close to him, operating under the mentality that if no one could reach him, no one could touch him. And then no one could hurt him.  
  
Freddy remembered calling Zack a snob back in preschool because he wouldn't play with any of the other kids. It wasn't until 5th grade, when"Mr. Schneebly" convinced him to play guitar for the band that Zack learned to trust other people again, most notably the blonde haired drummer himself.  
  
In most ways, Freddy and Zack were complete opposites. Where Zack was snarky and sarcastic, Freddy was blunt, and charismatic. Zack was quiet, reserved even, and never knew what to say to a girl. Freddy meanwhile, had no such uncertainties. He was more like a sailor, with a girl at every port.  
  
However, despite their differences, the two had forged a strong, resilient friendship. Freddy was the first person Zack allowed to get close to him, the first person he ever truly let his guard down around. The first person that showed him friends could be more than broken promises, and disappointments.  
  
Which was why Freddy was reluctant to share his relationship with Katie, with Zack. He was afraid Zack would view it as another form of abandonment, and draw back into his shell. And he couldn't have that happen. Freddy also wondered what would happen if he and Katie couldn't make a serious, monogamous relationship work. Would they hate each other? Or even worse, would the band break up? School of Rock was the closest thing to a caring family many of them, including Zack, Marta, and Freddy himself, ever had. If the band separated . . . well, it was unimaginable.  
  
Thus, the Sunday before Zack was scheduled to fly back to Hartford Freddy dissolved the relationship with a less-than-devastated Katie. They both agreed that "it" was just a physical thing, induced primarily by boredom. Consequently the summer fling stayed just that.  
  
Of course, as fate would have it, that summer afternoon was not the last time the intense physical attraction between the musicians would be explored. And it was this occasion that Freddy remembered with vivid detail.  
  
_Flashback  
  
A very drunk Katie stumbles into a brightly light room, filled to the bursting with scantily clad bodies grinding to the beat of a truly horrendous hip-hop number.  
  
On the far right of the room, Freddy is busy with what looks to be some sort of drinking game. He has eight shots of tequila in front of him, which are rapidly disappearing. The boy across the table collapses, his head knocking against the wood.  
  
Freddy stands up somewhat shakily, smirking, and high-fives those surrounding him. A pouty redhead clings to his arm, but he pushes her off when he sees Katie falter in her movements.  
  
With reflexes that betray the amount of alcohol in his system, Freddy hurries to her assistance.  
  
They end up in a room on the second floor, Freddy on the edge of the bed, cradling his head in his hands to the sound of Katie vomiting in the adjoining bathroom. As the toilet flushes, the girl re-enters the bedroom, looking flushed but somehow still beautiful.  
  
"How're you feeling?"  
  
She shrugs, and slumps down beside the boy.  
  
"Shit. I knew I shouldn't have taken you here. Brett's parties are always . . . intense, I guess. And you're still messed up about Christo-fag, sorry Christopher, dumping your ass."  
  
Katie shoots him a look, but it is devoid of any malice. "Well, yeah I'm upset. By why are you talking about you-know-who, and all that stuff? You're supposed to be acting considerate, and compassionate."  
  
"I tried that for the last week." He falls back on the mattress to stare up at the ceiling. "It didn't work. I've decided to desensitize you by mentioning the prick as often as possible, and as offensively as possible."  
  
Katie copies the boy's earlier action, and turns to her side. "Brilliant," she breathes, still sarcastic, "really brilliant". But she doesn't seem to be focusing on anything other than Freddy's lips.  
  
Possibly because the vodka has clouded her judgment, or perhaps for another reason she doesn't understand, Katie places her mouth over Freddy's.  
  
His lips taste of salt, and lemon, and the residue of tequila is apparent, but he tastes as sweet as she remembers. She nibbles on his bottom lip for a moment, until he groans, and suddenly their kisses become more urgent.  
  
It has been almost three years since they last tasted each other, since Freddy last caused her to moan by sucking at just the right spot on her collar bone, since Katie last ran her hands through his fine blonde hair. It has been almost three years, and suddenly it seems as though it's been a lifetime.  
  
This time around, though they try to recreate the forgotten days of their youth, everything is different. They are not two naïve fourteen year olds fumbling around in the garden shed, but two mature teenagers, ready to explore one another.  
  
Freddy is the very definition of experience. This is revealed to Katie as he manages to unhook her bra without removing his lips from her skin. His hands are insistent and methodic as they move expertly over her body. As the pair move farther into the center of the bed, and under the sheets, it is clear he knows what he's doing.  
  
End Flashback  
_  
And that was how talented, kind Katie Brown lost her virginity. Drunk, in the bedroom of someone she didn't know, with one of her equally drunk best friends.  
  
It was less than what she had envisioned when she was younger. Oh, certainly not in the physical sense. The act itself was far from disappointing, she could see where Freddy got his reputation. But when she woke up next to a snoring Freddy to see two disproving adults towering over them (Brett's parent's, she presumed), reality came crashing down.  
  
She'd slept with Freddy. Just like dozens of other girls at Langford, only those girls didn't have to worry about potentially screwing up one of the greatest things in the world. That is, the School of Rock. This was it, she thought. This was why Stevie Nicks never did it with Mick Fleetwood. Because by screwing Freddy, she screwed the band.  
  
So the bassist did what any other girl in her situation would do. She cried about it to her best friend, Summer. Though she never mentioned Freddy's name, she managed to convey her distress to the other girl, who, in turn did her very best to comfort Katie. They ate a ton of crappy food, sat through the Molly Ringwald trilogy, and at the end of it all, Katie actually felt good again.  
  
Even better, it seemed Katie's worries about the band were completely unfounded, ad Freddy was as determined as she was to keep their little escapade on the down low, as well as seek Katie's forgiveness.  
  
He genuinely felt bad about what had happened. In Freddy's eyes, he'd taken advantage of his best friend, and that was pretty unforgivable. Still, he tried. When no one was looking, he gave her stuffed animals, countless bouquets of flowers, even a new set of strings for her bass. Really though, he needn't have bothered. They'd been friends far too long for her to let one night get in the way of their friendship. He was, in all senses of the word, forgiven.  
  
Now, Freddy continued to look sick. "I can't believe you told her about that night. That's why she always thought I was an ass."  
  
Katie righted herself, scowling. "For your information, Jones, she doesn't know exactly what happened. For instance, I didn't tell her my one-night-stand was with you. You made her hate you all on your own."  
  
Freddy stared at his shoes, scratching his head. "Sorry, then," he mumbled. "It's just – damn, I don't know! I hate caring about her like this, caring about what she says, what she thinks. I'm going crazy, and the pathetic part is . . . I like it."  
  
Face softening, Katie rubbed her hand over Freddy's shoulder. "It'll be ok dude. I think."

* * *

Austin Latimer wasn't the world's most exciting person to talk to, at least in Zack's opinion. However, his cousin Greg Latimer, tour guide de jour was even less exciting. He was monotone and drab, and could easily be the root cause of narcolepsy.  
  
As a result, Summer and Zack lagged behind a little, talking quietly and going virtually unnoticed by their guide.  
  
". . . and before they hit it big, Nirvana played two or three concerts here . . ." Finally! Something remotely interesting.  
  
"I love Nirvana," Summer pronounced absently, hugging her clipboard tighter to her chest.  
  
Zack looked at her incredulously. "Really? I never would've thought. Huh. So, do you think Courtney killed Kurt Cobain?"  
  
The petite girl chewed her lip pensively for a moment before replying. "No, I don't think she did. I really think she loved him, and you just don't do that to someone you love."  
  
Zack smiled at her blatant innocence. "Oh really . . . So, is there anyone in your life you wouldn't shoot with a shot gun?"  
  
Summer smiled coyly, neatly evading the question. "Maybe. What about you? Do you have a Courtney Love?"  
  
Zack Mooneyham wasn't the type of person to take chances, or put his feelings out on display. But for whatever reason, today he was feeling . . . risky.  
  
"Actually I do."  
  
Summer's eyes widened in the way of only one who is on the verge of discovering really lucrative gossip. "Really?" she breathed. Then, composing herself continued, "I mean, who is it?"  
  
Zack cocked his head. "Well, you definitely know them."  
  
"Uh huh . . . so she goes to Langford then? Is she in our grade?"  
  
The boy pretended to inspect his fingernails. "Right on both counts. Hey, are my nails too long?"  
  
Biting back a giggle, Summer asked "Are we sure it's a she?"  
  
Not seeing the humor, Zack said simply "Duh."  
  
"Ok then. Wait, is she in the band?"  
  
Becoming slightly uncomfortable, Zack chose his words carefully. "Um, well, I guess you could say - "  
  
Summer cut him off. "It's Katie! Oh I knew you liked her! This is so perfect, you guys were like, made for each other," she gushed. "Though really, you could've been less obvious. I mean, every time I was at her house you'd call, usually for stupid things too. Jeez."  
  
Zack was about to correct her, when he realized doing so would be fairly futile. Once Summer got an idea in her head, it was quite impossible to get her to let it go. Besides, she was practically dancing in the aisles.  
  
"Zack and Ka – tie, sittin' in a tree. K – I –S – S - "  
  
She was stopped mid-song by their guide, who had at some point indicated that the tour was over.  
  
"Um, kiddo, are you ok?" Greg Latimer gave a half smile that indicated he worried for her sanity.  
  
Summer rewarded him with a cheery, full-fledged grin, promptly shaking the guy's hand.  
  
"I'm just great, thanks Greg. Next time you visit Austin, be sure to say hi!"  
  
The curly haired man continued to smile confusedly. "Ok. Wait, how do you know Austin?"  
  
Summer furrowed her brows. "I'm his girlfriend. Remember?"  
  
Greg's face contorted to match Summer's. "What? No you're not. Auz is dating the Layton girl, down in California. New money, but apparently good business connections. They've been on for about two years now. But good joke honey, really a nice try. Now I've got work to do."  
  
Summer watched the man make his way backstage, while her heart broke into a thousand pieces.

* * *

Long after Katie left to join the others in an air hockey tournament, Freddy continued to lie in bed, staring at the static on the TV, and brood.  
  
So sudden it was as though his own movements surprised him, Freddy reached for the phone that stood on the nightstand, and dialed room service.  
  
He ordered a pizza and some pretzels before hanging up, and retrieving his wallet. Unfortunately, all it contained were some singles and a credit card.  
  
The plastic was actually quite useless, as his father, in an attempt to curve his son's spending habits had the code changed randomly every once in awhile. Freddy was supposed to use it only in emergencies, in which case he was to contact his father for the password. Ah, well desperate times . . .  
  
Using his cell, Freddy quickly dialed his home number. The phone rang once, twice before a breathless, raspy female voice he did not recognize answered. "Hello?" the tone reminded him of the time he and Zack had called the number on TV, advertising "Sexy Sasha" who was supposed to "Tuck them in real tight".  
  
Figuring the voice must belong to a new member of the household staff, he trudged on. "Hey. Who is this?"  
  
Unfortunately, the question would remain unanswered as just then a second voice could be heard in the background. "Hey, Dom, darling. I've got the strawberries . . . now where were we?" A voice that was unmistakably his father's. The woman had giggled, and hung up.  
  
Feeling sick, Freddy remembered that his mother was at some spa in Switzerland, undoubtedly, he thought bitterly, enjoying a similar situation, with a man other than his father.  
  
Still numb, Freddy opened the liquor cabinet located in the far corner of his room, and helped himself to a bottle of gin.  
  
He was close to finishing it by the time Summer quietly let herself into his room, flushed from crying. She leaned against the back of the door.  
  
"Hey," she said in a near-whisper.  
  
Upon hearing her, Freddy spun around, but he didn't remain fazed for long. He lifted up his bottle.  
  
"Summer! Hey, what'll you have? We have a limited selection, but it'll have to do. Some cognac? Chardonnay maybe?"  
  
Immediately, the girl could tell there was something wrong with the normally unshakeable Freddy Jones. His generally soulful brown eyes were cold, and hard, even a little bit angry.  
  
When Summer didn't reply to his offer right away, he turned back to face the window, watching the rain as it came down in sheets. Though Summer herself was sad, Freddy looked thoroughly defeated. His posture and stance were as confident as ever, all angles and straightness. But there was something off about it, something . . . phony.  
  
Before she had a chance to voice her concerns, Freddy began to mutter to himself. "Damnit, I should've seen this coming. Even Steven Tyler had his affairs."  
  
His tone was unlike anything she'd ever heard from him before. In the 11 years she'd known him, Summer had heard Freddy Jones when he was happy, excited, tired, angry, and even scornful. But never had she heard such rage from the boy. It was chilling.  
  
"He's fucking the whore right now, right in the bed they share where I was conceived. They're fucking each other so hard they might break the fucking bed. And I didn't have a clue. Not a fucking clue."  
  
Reading between the lines, Summer ventured quietly, "Your dad's having an affair?" And suddenly she could feel his pain, not only because of Austin, but because of everything.  
  
She wanted to cry for him, because he was obviously having a hard time crying for himself, but before she got the chance to utter a single comforting word, the glass Freddy was holding suddenly became a soaring projectile, hitting the wall by the bed. The glass shattered into a million pieces, captivating both Summer and Freddy.  
  
Abruptly Freddy collapsed face down onto the nearby couch, filled with the unfamiliar desire to lose control, to break something . . . to cry.  
  
At first, Summer attempted to blend in with the wall, wishing she were anywhere but here, anywhere at all. Then her personality took over, and feeling quite stupid, she made her way over to the phone. Picking up, she deftly dialed down to the front desk.  
  
"Hello? Yes, there's been an accident in room 712 . . . oh no, nothing serious, just a broken glass . . . no, no one is hurt, just send someone up, please." She hung up, but the sense of helplessness still lingered in her stomach.  
  
Cautiously, the brunette made her way to the boy still sprawled on the couch. She lifted his torso so that his head was in her lap, and got no objections from the drummer, so she began to soothe him much in the way a mother soothes a child,  
  
Freddy looked up into her eyes, appreciating the genuine concern and sympathy he saw swimming in their depths. All of a sudden he was overwhelmed by guilt. Guilt over what had happened with Katie, guilt over how he'd treated her since high school, and guilt over being such a bad person, when she was so good and pure.  
  
"I'm sorry," he choked out, before burrowing his face in her neck, shaking with silent sobs.  
  
At a loss, Summer placed her lips on his forehead in a chaste kiss in an attempt to comfort the boy. This proved to be the final straw for Freddy, as just as Summer moved to bring her head back upright, he dexterously shifted their positions so that now he was the one sitting properly on the couch, and Summer was curled up into a ball against his form.  
  
With the same sort of suddenness, Freddy's face came down to meet Summer's violently, his lips eager to explore hers. He wanted to taste her, deep. His mouth searched hers hungrily for she was unlike any girl he had kissed before. For one thing, her mouth was shy and hesitant, and her tongue met his in some sort of elegant dance, sharing secrets, but keeping some hidden still. The taste of tears on her lips also made Summer different from the other girls. He never kissed someone and made her cry before.  
  
It was the tears that made him stop, made him pull back. When he looked at her face, he was shocked to see the tears still streaming, and even more abashed to notice the thin trail of blood leading from one corner of her mouth, down her chin.  
  
The blood and the tears marred the otherwise perfect porcelain face, and at once Freddy was disgusted with himself. Because as usual, he was the asshole. As usual, he had to take something untainted, and wholesome, and fuck it all up.  
  
A MILLION THANK – YOU'S!  
  
GRAHAMCRACKERS – Thanks so much for the kind words, I read them over and over again. They made me smile!  
  
POTATO CHIPPY WEEZER – Glad you like your post, and yes this chapter is full of teenage melodrama too! (And it's funny you mention the OC, because I picture Zack to grow up like Seth . . .)  
  
5TH FANTANA – Thanks!  
  
MEL15 – I'm happy you're happy!  
  
RHAPSODY-CHILD-OF-THE-SKY – As always, your comments are greatly appreciated!  
  
AR – Thanks! I couldn't find the quote you were referring to that caused you confusion. Chapter?  
  
STICKIT2DA-MANIOSIS - Hope you don't mind the F/S – shippiness! There will be more Z/S though, I promise!  
  
MOVIEFAN747 – Always great to have another F/S shipper on board! Congratulations!  
  
!!!MEARA!!! – I think your vocabulary is great! Thanks, and you're right, I am a slow poke. (Hangs head in shame)  
  
UNTITLED BEHAVIOUR – All your questions will be answered in due time! (Except maybe the potato chip one because frankly, I don't know)  
  
JAKESMYGOTH – Freddy is definitely hot, there's just something about musicians . . .  
  
CROAKER – Great to hear from you again! You sound as indecisive as I am, I can't pick between Freddy and Zack either! And you see you're right, Austin does suck. Good job!  
  
THE CHEEZHEAD – Yeah, I'm laying on the drama a little thick, huh? Ah well. Again, sorry for the long wait!  
  
THATJOEYKID – Yeah! Go F/S! I've got to tell you, I'm loving your F/S! Thanks!  
  
LEAH6 – Thanks a million for reviewing! The ultimate pairings are still up in the air, but hopefully they will all make sense in the end.  
  
MAIGAIN – I (obviously) heart S/F too, so I'm happy to hear you're a shipper! I like Punk!Freddy with a soft side too!  
  
MIRAGED – I'm thrilled you're liking the relationships! It's awesome to know that you're reading this even though F/S isn't your favorite. You get . . . cookies, or candy or something. You pick!  
  
CHOCL8CHPS – I know, it's almost creepy how much alike F/S and D/Hr are!  
  
LADYBUG11 – Thanks! 


	8. Nothing Else Matters

Title: Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
  
Author: Phish Food  
  
Disclaimer: The School of Rock belongs to someone who is not me. The title of the story is a Clash song, and that of this chapter is from Metallica. Oh, and Freddy and Eleni's kinship belongs to Alyce, my SoR hero.  
  
Pairing: Zack/Summer/Freddy (Gasp!)  
  
A/N: Hey everyone! Remember back at the beginning of this story, when I was posting almost a chapter a day? That was fun, huh? Seriously folks, I feel terrible about the long wait. It was a combination of finals, my b-day and subsequent b-day parties, the fact that I had to focus all my attention on my Trory fic exchange, and finally my trip to France. I promise, there will never be a delay this long again!

Dedication: To Alyce, for writing kick-ass fics and one-shots that make me smile.

**Nothing Else Matters**

_So close no matter how far/  
Couldn't be much more from the heart/  
Forever trusting who we are/  
And nothing else matters/_

Guilt overwhelmed Freddy as he continued to stare at Summer's wound. The cut wasn't deep, and it certainly wasn't serious, but the remorse that inundated him made him feel as though he had purposely stabbed her. _You fuck-up_. A voice whispered cruelly in his head.

Abruptly, he pulled away from her. Summer opened her eyes at the loss of contact, and gazed at him wonderingly. She noticed Freddy staring spellbound at the side of her mouth. Self-consciously, she brought a finger to the spot, and was surprised to feel her own blood.

She brought the bloody finger between the two, and stared at it with a crazy half smile. "I'm bleeding," she pointed out unnecessarily.

The little smile on her face frightened him. Summer was always so stable, so dependable. She couldn't just lose it right now, not when the rest of his life was in shambles. He needed her right now, even if he didn't know quite what for.

"Shh, Pixie, don't do that. Stop . . . please stop."

The smile faded, but she continued to look up at him with those big, wild eyes like she didn't know what to do. At a loss himself, Freddy turned his attention back to the contour of blood that still blemished her chin, despite the fact that it had now dried.

"Did I do this to you," it wasn't a question, in fact it were almost as though he was talking to himself in the same strange voice Summer herself had employed earlier.

"I wasn't trying to scare you, I just . . . I'm so messed up right now. I didn't mean to get you this way too." He wanted desperately to make her understand, make her not hate him.

She didn't whisper vague words that were meant to comfort him, she didn't tell him "its ok". And he was grateful for this. Instead she continued to stroke the top of his head and murmured, "I'm here Freddy. I'm here, and I'm not leaving. Not a chance."

Freddy Jones had learned early to be independent, and to not need anything from others. He got by in life by not showing any weaknesses, or vulnerabilities, or needs at all. Ever. But right now, what he needed more than anything was to be held close, and to be cared for. The only thing was, he didn't know if he knew how to ask something of another person, or if he even had it in him to try.

Thankfully, Summer seemed to realize instinctively what it was he wanted, and pulled him in towards her, protecting him from his demons. She cupped his face in her hands, and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs, desperate to make him whole again, to fix him, to rescue him.

Their faces were inches apart again, and Freddy smiled at her reassuringly, as if to say "I'm not gonna hurt you again,"

Summer closed her eyes in anticipation of a gentle, quiet kiss. A kiss that never came. Instead his mouth worked furiously against hers, creating a rhythm of hot, steamy kisses that left her feeling bruised and alive. Freddy's tongue intertwining with her own set afire a passion she never knew existed within her. Summer was thankful that she had the couch to support her, because Freddy's kisses had rendered her body futile.

He somehow managed to be both needy and demanding in his kisses, his tongue was a contradiction in itself. He kissed away each tear on her cheek, he kissed her eyelids, her earlobes, her nose – it was as if he was trying to embed himself thoroughly into each one of her senses, and he was succeeding wonderfully.

Suddenly Summer pulled away. These emotions of his were too raw, too intense for her. She felt his pain through his kisses, and it was so real it felt like it was her own. She couldn't handle all of this, not all at once. Not from a boy she had professed to hate wholeheartedly two days ago.

And yet . . . she couldn't leave him either. Somehow she knew that not being with him right now when he needed her most would cause her actual, physical pain. She couldn't handle that either.

So to reconcile the emotions that were warring inside of her, Summer rested her forehead against Freddy's, just so she could see his face.

For a wild moment, she thought he had been crying too, as there were damp trails leading down his face. But then she realized it was her own tears that had left stains on his cheeks. Somehow this realization made the scene even sadder. Freddy didn't know how to cry for himself, so Summer had to cry for him. Her roaming hands had tousled his blonde hair and his eyes, though filled with pain, were wild and bright.

Summer smiled hazily up at him. Here she was living out every girl's dream, with Freddy Jones lying on top of her, looking as if he would like to make "kissing her senseless" his life's mission.

This thought was cut off, however when Freddy's mouth again covered hers. This kiss was different from the others in that it was slow, and deep. There were reasons, Summer knew, why they shouldn't be doing this, why making out with Freddy Jones was very, very wrong but at this moment she couldn't think of a single one. Her mind was getting cloudier and cloudier with every wave of lust that crashed through her body, and her sanity was becoming increasingly difficult to hold onto. She wondered, briefly if she even wanted to hold on to it.

Meanwhile, Freddy had rolled so that he was covering her body completely; it felt like warmth and strength and steel all at once and Summer wanted to run her fingers all over him, just to see what his skin would feel like. Before she could, however, Freddy began to repeat his former action of marking tiny kisses all over her face, but this time in a dreadfully heartbreaking manner. The kisses felt like tears, falling after one another on her face. In face, they could have been real tears, but Summer would never know. She was such an emotional train wreck that she couldn't bear to open her eyes.

They popped open, however, when she realized his right hand had slid up to her thigh. It stayed there for a moment, perhaps he was waiting for her to stop him, but when she didn't, he eased her legs apart. Blood rushed everywhere, to her head, to her toes, and the want inside of her was steadily taking over her body. Without thinking, she glided her hands all over his body, wanting to feel his muscles ripple in response to her movements. She grabbed his hardened shoulders and pulled him close to her, wanting somehow to transfer all his hurt into her own body. He couldn't handle all this pain; she wanted to help so badly.

She hesitantly slipped her hands under his shirt, which made him breath in slight surprise. She smoothed over the expanse of soft skin that was his stomach and sighed when she realized it really did feel like velvet. "Oh, Summer . . . god," he moaned, as she continued to trace abstract patterns over his abdomen. Freddy then nuzzled into her neck, kissing and sucking the soft skin there, hard enough to leave marks. Summer had always thought such action was tacky and tasteless, but right now it felt so good she didn't care.

Unexpectedly, Freddy copied her earlier feat, and slipped his own hands underneath Summer's sweater. Alarm bells went off in her head, and she pushed Freddy off as if he had burned her. He complied and sat on the opposite end of the couch, looking pained. Summer herself was fighting hard to control her impulses, because right now al she wanted to do was drag him back to her and finish what they had started.

He looked over at her hesitantly. "I'm sorry - "

She cut him off. "Don't be. It was my fault too . . ." she lapsed into silence.

"But I _am_ sorry," he insisted. "It was just . . ."

"You needed to feel something. I know, I've been there. Seriously Spaz, its ok. Actually," she ventured shyly, "it was more than ok, it was really, really good. Amazing, in fact."

He smirked. "It was, wasn't it? Wow, who would've thought, Summer Hathaway, epitome of all things pure and perfect would be such a damn good kisser. Congratulations, Tink."

She gave him a small smile. "Shut up. Anyway, I think you should go to bed."

He looked at her incredulously. "Summer, I know my kisses feel like gifts from god, but they can't have messed you up that much. Its only six."

"I know, but you've had a really hard day. You need sleep. Come on, I'll even lie with you, for a little while."

Freddy had to admit that offer was attractive. "Are you trying to seduce me, Miss Hathaway?"

"Yes," she deadpanned. "I want you Freddy, I want you in this bed so I can have my wicked, wicked way with you."

"I knew it." He sauntered over to the bed, kicked off his shoes and got in, looking pointedly at Summer. "Well?"

"I'm coming, hold on." She frowned at the broken glass fragments that still littered the floor. "I wonder why they haven't come for these yet?" she mused.

Freddy sighed, exasperated. "Don't worry, they're probably busy. There are probably a lot of teenage boys who found out their fathers are bastards, and who broke a shot glass in reaction."

Summer smiled. "Maybe." With that, she crawled into bed beside Freddy, and wrapped him in a hug. "Good night."

However, as she tried to sleep, something was skirting around in the back of her mind. They were forgetting something. Something big.

* * *

"I don't get it," Dewey pronounced heavily to his band in the crowded stage wings of 'White Riot'.

"Where _are_ they? What _happened_? This could be the biggest night of our lives, and here we stand, abandoned by our drummer and our manager. Well, this is it kids. Pack up your bags, we're going home. Bow to the man, for he has won; he has snapped off the necks of our guitars, he's stolen our voice boxes." Dewey looked at Lawrence menacingly. "He broke off every single key on your keyboard. Even the skinny black ones! But worst of all he has kidnapped two of our own. We're doomed." He collapsed dramatically onto a tacky leopard print sofa, subsequently causing the couple making-out there to leave.

Tomika sat down in their place. "I don't know Dew. I mean, the club is delaying the show for a few hours anyway because they're having some technical problems too. I think that means someone's on our side. Besides, Freddy and Summer are probably just late."

Dewey snorted. "Yeah, that's it. Summer. Late. The word isn't even in her vocabulary, oh voice of reason. The girl lives and dies by her itineraries. She makes master lists of lists. She's crazy-punctual, you've all heard her yell at Master Spaz."

"That's it then," interjected Billy. "Freddy's just making her late. He probably stopped to buy more of those hideous hoodies he's always wearing. Honestly, why work out at all, if you're just going to hide your gorgeous body underneath 50 pounds of fleece? The prude. If he would just wear the snake paints I designed for him, he'd be able to show off his awesome ass . . ."

Billy drifted off, and everyone looked disturbed. The designer caught these looks, and responded innocently. "What? Oh, you guys can't tell me you didn't notice this. Freddy is totally Playgirl-centerfold material. He's the kind of guy the Romans would love to make statues of. He's the perfect physical specimen! Oh come on guys, don't be ashamed. Show of hands, who thinks Freddy's hot?"

The rest of the band looked uncomfortably around at one another, and one by the girls raised their hands. So did Marco. Frankie edged away from him slowly. "Hey!" The redhead protested. "I didn't say I liked him the way Billy does. But look at the way all the girls at Langford flock to him. Don't you kinda wish you looked like him?"

Begrudgingly, Frankie, Gordon, Leonard and Lawrence raised their hands too. Zack and Dewey, however, kept their hands by their sides.

"Oh my god," Dewey moaned. "When did my group turn into WHAM?"

Katie smirked. "When you appointed George Michaels as our drummer."

Dewey shot the girl a look. "Ok then, Miss Sassy. I guess that makes you Andrew Ridgeley."

Katie grimaced at the thought of the awkward looking musician, and Dewey again cleared his throat.

"But back to the real problem which, thank Zeppelin, has absolutely nothing to do with eighties has-beens or Freddy's ass. See, we're standing here, ready to rock, and _unable to do so_," he paused significantly. "And when our two little stragglers _do_ come a-lollygagging in here, we are all going to kick their tushies. I mean it, we'll bash Jones on the head with his own drumsticks; you know, beat the Keith Moon right out of him. Katie, Marta, I think you guys can take Summer, just watch out for her nails – I've got a feeling she's a scratcher . . ." he trailed off, still not focusing and looking like an incensed madman.

Marta ventured timidly, "Um, great plan there Dew. Only, well, Freddy probably won't be able to drum for us if he's all . . . damaged and stuff. And since the reason you're mad at him in the first place is because he can't drum for us now, you're kind of negating your own argument."

"True," Dewey looked disappointed. "Well, maybe we can rough them up a bit _after_ the show? That gives us more time to plan strategy, too - "

He was cut off by the appearance of Eleni and Michelle. The shorter girl had her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed as she called, "It's a no-go with the concert thing. This club is so messed up right now; their lights are whacked, and they can't find the general manager anywhere. Its like total chaos."

Dewey looked at once both relieved and upset. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah . . . one of the ushers thought I was hot," said Michelle, as if this were a full explanation.

"Uh huh," mused Dewey's slouched form. Abruptly, he jumped up, clearly energized once more. "Well you heard our little Pamela Des Barres, everyone head home. Well, back to the hotel. You know what I mean."

Dewey was halfway out of the door when he turned around and called back, "Oh and don't forget - "

"If we see 'the punk poseur and his over-achieving sidekick', we castrate Freddy and steal Summer's palmOne." Zack finished for him. "Don't worry Dew, we've got everything under control."

The older man looked back at the guitarist with something very close pride in his eyes. "I have taught you so well." The teen rolled his eyes as the king of melodrama left the room, before turning his attention back to the rest of his band mates.

Eleni and Michelle had taken Dewey's spot on the couch, and were apparently still trying to work out Dewey's earlier comment.

"Wait . . . what did he just call me?" Eleni asked.

Katie bit back a grin and answered, "Pamela Des Barres."

Tomika adopted a disgusted expression. "Ugh. But didn't he just refer to Freddy as Keith Moon?"

The bassist's grin stretched into a full-fledged smirk. "Yeah, he did."

The band members who caught on began to laugh, leaving the others completely confused.

"What the hell?" rumbled Frankie, "Is everyone on crack or something?"

"Never mind," Marta, still giggling waved him off. She turned to Eleni, "So Leni, I knew you and Freddy were close, but not that close!"

Eleni made a face, to which Katie smiled dreamily. "Oh, who cares Len, you got to make-out with _Jim Morrison_!" She pretended to swoon, and Zack caught her.

"All right, when everyone has finished chronicling Eleni's trysts with dead rockers, my truck is waiting to take all your sorry-asses back to the hotel." The guitarist, now clearly in a bad mood, abruptly let go of Katie and strode out of the room.

"Damn," Frankie exhaled. "What's his deal?"

* * *

Zack's "deal" quickly became apparent to Katie on the ride back to the Hilton. Due to the limited space in his BMW X5, both the bassist and Marta were crammed into the passenger side. Of course, as Katie was in the middle of the two, and as a result pressed right up against Zack's person, she didn't see the lack of space as much of a problem.

The guitarist's surly mood, however was another story. After Zack had, for the third time, snapped at Gordon for being a "backseat driver", Katie herself cracked.

"Ok Johnny Marr, what the hell is up with you today?"

Zack had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed; he lowered his eyes, and his trademark blush began to spread over his cheeks.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Its just . . . god, do I wish I knew what happened to Freddy and Summer."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Not this again. They're fine, paranoia-boy. Bet you anything Freddy's busy getting laid, and Summer . . . well, maybe she's stuck in traffic?" she finished feebly.

Zack shook his head adamantly. "No, that's not it. I'm really worried about Tink, I mean, she was really messed up when she left the club earlier this afternoon. She was talking in this really high-pitched voice, and she wouldn't look me in the eye."

Katie was baffled. "Well, I've got no idea what that's about. Maybe . . . I dunno, did her mom call? 'Cause that always gets her worked up."

His expression was grim. "Nooooo . . . ok, I don't know if I should tell you this, but when we got the tour today, you know, from _Austin'_s cousin, he said . . . things."

"Things? What kinds of things?"

He bit his lip. "He might've mentioned something about Austin having a girlfriend other than Summer."

"Meaning that he was cheating on her?" Katie gazed at him imploringly.

As the boy nodded his head in a bleak 'yes', Marta cut in. From the looks on Katie and Zack's faces, they had forgotten she was even there.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. No way. There is absolutely no way that Austin is cheating on Summer. He's not like that."

Zack continued to look skeptical, and Katie crinkled her brow.

"I don't know about that, Mar. I mean, Austin's no Freddy, but before he started dating Summer, he did have a bit of a reputation. Remember what he did to Michelle?"

She shook her head. "Hey, that wasn't even a big deal. Shelly had just broke up with Frankie, and she needed a shoulder to cry on. Austin was just trying to comfort her."

Zack looked at her disbelievingly. "And he decided the best way to do that was to sleep with her when she was drunk? I didn't know taking advantage of intoxicated girls was worthy of beatification," he snorted. "Be serious Marta. Even _Freddy_ wouldn't sink that low."

His comment struck Katie as a little too close for comfort, and she hastily attempted to get the conversation back on track.

"Ok guys. What Austin did with Michelle was wrong," she spared a fleeting glance to the back of the truck, where both groupies were asleep on Frankie's lap. "But that doesn't mean he's entirely a bad guy. I mean, Tink likes him so that counts for something. Of course the real question is: Is Austin cheating on her _now_?"

"Yes," responded Zack immediately, just as Marta said the opposite.

The brown-haired boy turned away from the road to gape at Marta. "Oh my god. What makes you so damn sure he's not?"

"What makes you so sure he_ is_?" she shot back.

"I know him - "

Marta interrupted, "No you don't!"

"I know guys _like_ him," Zack amended. "I know what they're like. They want one thing, and one thing only, and as soon as they've got it, they're gone."

Katie twisted to face him. "No offence, Zack, but you're not giving Summer that much credit. You really think she'd fall for someone like that, let herself be _used_ like that?"

"Well, no," Zack conceded. "But that's sort of my point. The bastard gets to have Summer as his girlfriend – a sweet, smart girl who isn't 'easy' and who hasn't 'been around'. And then when she's not around he has his primal urges satisfied by the collection of whores that is our Cheer Team. For our buddy Austin, it's a win-win situation."

Katie looked convinced, however Marta was furious.

"I cannot believe you Zachary Mooneyham. How can you say stuff like that, make outrageous assumptions like those? Austin's not like that, and you know it."

Zack opened his mouth to refute this, but Marta cut him off again. "And anyway, you're completely biased. You hate Austin because he's everything you ever wanted to be but couldn't, and he has everything you ever wanted because you were too chicken-shit to ever go for it."

Zack retorted with a weak "That's not true."

But Marta was only getting started. "Oh no? What was your dad's big dream for you? To play football, and guess who's Langford's star quarterback? You worked all year for the top Physics marks and in the end, who was the lucky recipient?" She paused for breath.

"But the best part, the part that _really_ makes you a total pathetic fucking loser, is that ever since the seventh grade you've been pining after Summer, trying to work up the courage to ask her out." Zack shot her a wondering look. "Oh don't doodle in your English book if you're just going to leave it lying around," she answered. "And yet again, Austin beat you to it, and now he's her boyfriend; her loving, honest, non-cheating boyfriend – not that she even deserves him. And you're the jealous pussy who's just trying to cause problems in their relationship to make yourself feel better. Fuck you, Mooneyham."

It was lucky, perhaps, that they had just arrived back at the hotel, or things might've escalated to an even uglier level. The screaming from the front had awoken the napping teens in the back, and now they were all looking to see what was going on.

Before unlocking the doors, though, Zack was determined to get the last word in. "You're lucky you're a girl, Hale, because if you were a guy I would've kicked your ass. Now get the hell out of my car."

The blonde girl hurled herself out of the vehicle and ran towards the lobby. No one realized she was crying.

* * *

_He deserved it_, Marta insisted to herself en route to her hotel suite. Zack Mooneyham was being a stubborn, self-righteous jerk, and _someone_ had to set him straight. Besides, he was insulting Austin.

Austin Latimer. Gorgeous, smart, athletic and, in Marta's opinion, the most perfect boy in the world.

She knew, of course, that it wasn't right of her to have such thoughts. Austin _was_, after all, Summer's boyfriend, and Summer herself was as close to perfect as anyone could be. It was poetic justice, perhaps, that the "over-achieving football hunk" and the "over-achieving class president" got together. They belonged together.

At least, that's what Marta told herself every time she saw Austin wrap an arm around Summer's shoulder, or tuck a strand of hair out of her face. It didn't make such situations any less painful, but it_ did_ stop her from crying out her undying love for the boy.

Marta stood quite strongly by what she said back in Zack's car. There was no way Austin was cheating on Summer, not a one. The two were like Sid and Nancy, albeit far less screwed up, and with a distinct lack of interest in drugs and self-mutilation. But whatever.

If Summer believed what that cousin dude said for one second, she definitely didn't deserve to have a guy like Austin as her boyfriend. Love was supposed to be unconditional, and completely trusting. Marta knew that if she were dating Austin, she'd never have doubts of any kind. She'd be in a perfect bliss.

Now, as she prepared to unlock the door to her hotel room, she was surprised to have the door open on her instead. She wondered for a brief, guilty second if it was Summer (as the two were sharing a room, along with Katie), but a wiry woman in her late thirties, sporting what was clearly a maid's uniform, appeared instead.

"Um, hello?" It came out as more of a question than a statement.

The cleaning lady smiled nervously in response. "Hi, miss, I'm Teresa. Um, you didn't happen to place a call here about an hour and a half ago, asking for someone to clean up some broken glass?"

Marta shook her head regretfully.

Teresa's face fell. "Oh. Well, I got that call to come to your room, see," she handed Marta a little piece of message paper as proof. "And then when I got up here, there was no broken glass to be found. I thought maybe it was someone playing a joke or something, but I'm new here, see, and not really sure how these things work. So I been looking all around the room, but there isn't even a single shard." She looked helpless.

Marta studied the message paper, trying to determine if there was any way she could help the woman, when she noticed something.

"Hey um, Teresa? I think maybe you read the message wrong. It says here the glass broke in room 712. This is room 714."

A look of relief overcame the tired woman's face as she thanked Marta. The blonde, however, was lost in thought as she attempted to figure out whether or not the room was occupied by a SoR member.

"Omigosh! Zack and Freddy!"

Teresa had just managed to push her cart of supplies to the front of the boys' room when Marta rushed up to her.

"Hey Teresa. Actually this room belongs to a couple of my friends, so do you mind if I take a peek with you? I swear I'm not some sort of perverted, psycho-freak. I just want to make sure their ok."

The maid smiled warmly. "Of course sweetie, no worries."

She rapped on the door with precise, practiced knocks and called in a honeyed voice, "Housekeeping!"

When there was no answer, Teresa unlocked the door and let herself in. Marta quickly followed, and her eyes beheld a sight that made her gasp aloud.

The room was pretty much identical to the one Marta herself was staying in, with two double beds, a sitting area, and a bathroom. However there were some distinct differences.

The mini-bar in Marta's room, for instance, did not look like Keith Richards had just rummaged through it, and she was quite certain the pile of smashed glass did not come in every room.

But the most unusual "feature" this room offered was two bodies lying intertwined on one of the beds. The male she recognized as Freddy, and as he was topless, her first thought was "Alright, who's the flavor of the day?"

However, she then caught sight of a shiny, unmistakable mane of dark hair cascading over one of the pillows, and she knew.

"Oh. My. God."

* * *

Katie Brown was usually a very laid back individual. She was someone who couldn't care less about gossip, or the weekly Langford scandals, or who Freddy Jones was shagging this week.

But today, she was worried. She worried about Freddy and Summer, who were still MIA, and she worried about Marta and her uncharacteristic blow-up this afternoon. But most of all, she worried about Zack.

Honestly, it wasn't that much of a secret that Zack harbored a crush on Summer. With his big puppy dog eyes, and his heart on his sleeve, Zack wasn't at all difficult to read. Every time the girl would walk into Dewey and Ned's old flat, the guitarist would just light up, as if someone had informed him that Hendrix had been reincarnated. He hung on every word she said, would do anything she asked, and basically reverted back to a seven year old whenever Summer was around. It was pitiful and maybe a little bit sad; but in the minds of most of the band members (Freddy not included because he was always so preoccupied with himself), it was cute.

Sure, it hurt Katie a little, to think that the only boy she would ever even consider being serious with preferred her best friend to her, but it just wasn't in Katie's nature to get too upset about it. Because frankly, who was she supposed to get mad at? Zack? She knew first hand that you simply couldn't help who you fell for. And Summer? The girl was so oblivious she didn't even know Zack had a thing for her at all.

No, Katie decided way back when she was a freshman that she was going to carry her stupid crush on Zack Mooneyham to the grave, and in the meantime do her damnedest to get over it. Because if Zack's crush on Summer was pitiable, then her own crush on Zack was downright pathetic.

At that moment, Marta came rushing in from the elevator. She had a wild look in her eyes, and her movements were frenetic. She noticed Katie and hurried towards her.

"Hi," she panted. "Listen, I've got to go back to Hartford tonight. I'm gonna be late getting back, so don't wait up, ok?" The blonde ran off.

Katie stood still, shell-shocked before she had the presence of mind to call out to her friend, "Wait! Marta, you're going back _now_? _Why_?"

The other girl looked panicked and replied awkwardly, "I, uh, forgot my toothbrush. I've got to keep my pearly whites pearly and, uh, white if we want to win right? See ya!" Without further hesitation, she dashed out of the hotel.

For several minutes afterwards Katie stood stupidly in the lobby. _Toothbrush, my ass_. Before deciding to head off to find Zack.

* * *

The boy wasn't exactly all that difficult to find. As soon as Katie entered the billiard room she noticed Zack slouching on a barstool.

He was the picture-perfect cliché drunk: slumped, using his right forearm as a pillow as he nursed a drink and looked completely desolate.

Katie wandered up behind him and grabbed a barstool of her own. "Hey," she ventured tentatively.

"Howdy Katie. What a fine and lovely morning this is, hmm? Almost makes you want to go out there and pick daisies, or some other crap like that."

Suspicious, Katie reached over to grab his drink, and gave it a sniff. "This is fruit punch, Mooneyham."

"10 points for observation, Brown."

"It's fruit punch, and not even the spiked kind, and yet you're behaving as if you've just downed ten shots of tequila." She raised an eyebrow at him. "So spill."

Zack raised his hands in mock-defeat. "I dunno. I've always wanted to get drunk off my ass. I mean, Freddy does it all the time, and it seems like fun. You can say whatever you want, and just blame it on the alcohol the next morning. You can act like an idiot, and pretend to forget about it. Getting smashed seems like the perfect solution right now."

"Ooook," Katie nodded slowly. "Then why fruit punch? Why not a nice shot of brandy, or a hard lemonade? Because let me assure you its going to be awfully hard to 'get drunk off your ass' drinking fruit punch."

Zack looked up at her. "I know _that_. The thing is, tomorrow's hangover does not look fun at all. I mean, have you ever seen Jones when he's lying around the floor of my room, moaning about how he'll never be as good as Ginger Baker, so Eric Clapton should just kick his ass right now?"

Though it was clearly a rhetorical question, Katie shook her head no, and Zack smiled halfheartedly. "Well, I have, and let me tell you. Not a pretty sight."

Whatever else Katie may have wanted to say was interrupted by the appearance of Eleni Frankie and Michelle.

"Hey friends!" the taller girl called.

Katie straightened up. "Hi! What are you guys doing here?"

"Happy hour!" proclaimed Michelle in her usual succinct manner.

"Well, actually, happy hour was seven 'til eight," Eleni corrected. "We just sort of stayed."

"Isn't the bar tender cute?" Michelle gestured towards a bearded man in his early twenties serving a pint to another patron.

"So Zack," Frankie directed everyone's attention away from the bartender. "What're you drinking?"

Zack looked nervous for a moment, so Katie cut in and saved him. "Rum and coke, right Moons?"

He shot her a look of gratitude. "Yeah . . . uh, my favorite."

Frankie whistled. "Wow, dipping into the hard stuff early, huh Mooneyhammer. Didn't know you had it in you."

Now clearly in to his whole "I'm a drunk" charade, Zack nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah, well. Cheers to that!" He made a big show of raising his glass and losing his balance so that he landed on the floor.

Michelle and Eleni giggled, while Katie shook her head amusedly.

Frankie cleared his throat. "So, what was up with Marta earlier? She sounded like Cher with that whole tantrum she threw in your truck. Nice wheels, by the way."

Michelle sighed, "I love BMWs."

Katie ignored this, and shrugged. "Beats me. But whatever, is everyone having fun?"

"Way," Michelle nodded seriously.

"Yeah, we're definitely the hottest girls in this fine hotel. No offence Katie." Eleni patted the bassist's arm in an apologetic gesture.

Familiar with her friends' antics, Katie just laughed.

Michelle continued, "Leni and I have got this whole place figured out. I mean the lounge up top is hot from about nine 'till twelve. That's where all the traveling businessmen go before their meetings. Great place if you're looking for a sugar daddy," she added conspiratorially.

"Then we go to the pool, where all the hotties hang out. I met this guy Duane, on vacation here from New Orleans, and wow."

"Wow what?" asked Katie blankly.

Eleni gave a mischievous smile. "Well, lets just say I'll never look at a sauna quite the same way again."

"Oh." Katie was fairly sure she'd never look at a sauna the same way again either.

"I was so proud of her!" Michelle squealed.

From the floor, Zack spoke up. "I'm bored."

Frankie gave him a hand up, "You said it man. After you exhaust the pool and the arcade, there's nothing much to do."

"We could write postcards!" suggested Eleni brightly.

"Or, you know, not." Michelle scrunched up her face to let them know exactly what she thought about that idea. "Ooh, I know. Lets play 'Truth or Dare'!"

"Yeah!" Katie shouted in mock excitement. "And then, we can paint our toe nails, and sigh about how dreamy Justin Timberlake is."

"Shut up, you gothic cloud of misery. I think it sounds like fun." Frankie came to Michelle's defense.

"Hey!" Zack warbled. "Don't talk to Katie like that, loser. Just because you're desperate to impress Shelly here doesn't mean you can teach the rest of us like crap. And, now I have a headache." He sat back down.

Frankie glared menacingly. "You're drunk, Mooneyhammer, and clearly you don't know what you're saying. I'll cut you some slack today, but you might not be so lucky next time."

Michelle looked between the two boys, "Ok, if you guys are done with your whole macho act, is everyone going to play?"

Eleni squealed her consent, while the others merely nodded.

Pleased, Michelle continued, "Alright then, I'll go first." She looked around at the rest of them appraisingly. "Zack. Truth or dare?"

The guitarist had a roguish glint in his eye that Katie had only seen on a few occasions. "Dare," he declared decisively.

Michelle's grin widened, as if she had been hoping that would be his choice. "Ok, Zackie, since you're all musical and everything, and you like to write songs, I dare you to stand up on your stool, and serenade everyone here with your favorite song."

Katie smiled. This dare was too perfect. She leaned back in her seat and prepared to hear Zack's rendition of Zeppelin's _Misty Mountain Hop_, which he had once told her was his specialty.

Instead, the boy climbed on top of his stool, and then on to the bar counter, where he began to sway awkwardly.

Once he seemed to have gotten his rhythm down, Zack shouted across the room what was apparently his "favorite song".

_"Les poisons, les poissons_

_How I love les poisons_

_Love to chop_

_And to serve little fish"_

Katie looked up at him incredulously. Was he serious? Michelle and Eleni were beside themselves with giggles, and Frankie looked like he wanted to cry.

_"First I cut off their heads_

_Then pull out their bones_

_Ah, mais oui, ca c'est toujours delish"_

He was using an empty beer bottle as a microphone, and stumbling around foolishly. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

_"Les poissons, les poisons_

_Hee-hee-hee, haw-haw-haw - "_

Zack cut himself off, and now he looked angry. "Les poissons? Les poissons? How unbelievably stupid. Its _fish _damnit, there's no need to add the negative connotation of _poison_. How does poisson sound anything _like_ fish? It doesn't, not at all. What's wrong with le fish? Why does it have to be completely different? Freaking French, always have to be different, don't you. Le poisson, le poisson," he finished his rant by glaring at the rest of the room, as if daring them to contradict him.

Katie gently tugged at his hand. "Good enough, Liam Gallagher. I think you're done for tonight. I'm cutting you off." As she helped Zack climb down, the rest of the hotel guests resumed their former activates, and the five teens were no longer the center of attention,

Once Zack was settled back in his chair, he whispered to Katie, "How was that? Was I a convincing drunk?"

Unsure of how to respond, Katie smiled slightly. "Uh, yeah. Freddy would be proud."

This seemed to placate the brunette as he now turned his interest to Frankie. "Right then. Massagli. Truth or dare?"

* * *

Marta's hands were literally trembling as she drove up to the motel where she had arranged to pick up Austin.

There were several reasons behind her nervousness. One, it was late, and there were some shady looking characters hanging around this joint. Two, she was driving Dewey's van, for which she technically didn't have permission. And finally, she was about to see Austin, only the boy she'd been crushing on since forever.

He was standing by the curb, a little ways away from the actual building, with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Even in the darkness she could make out the features she had long since memorized. The fuzzy buzz-cut. The strong, cut shoulders. The slouched posture which seemed to express at once confidence, boredom, and sheer masculinity. In Marta's eyes, he was perfect.

She pulled up, and rolled down the passenger's window. "Hey." Her voice was almost a whisper.

In one fluid motion he opened the car door, flung his bag in the back seat, and sat down. "Hello Marta." The way he said her name gave her chills.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, he turned to face her. "So, Marta. Are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

Mesmerized by the mere fact that he was so close, she repeated dumbly, "What's going on?"

He nodded his head impatiently. "Yeah, you call me right in the middle of Sports Center, telling me that there's an emergency involving Summer, and that there was no time to explain but you'll be there soon. So what's up, Marta?"

She wondered for a moment whether or not he knew he was using her name in almost every sentence, before deciding she didn't even care. Instead she started to answer. "Yeah, the emergency, right. Well, I found Summer - "

She cut herself off. What she had been about to say was, "I found Summer and Freddy sleeping together in his bed." Of course, then she realized the tiny little fact that Summer was her friend. One of her best, in fact, and what right did Marta have to wreck her first real relationship? She didn't even know the whole story. It could have been completely innocent.

Austin, however, was still prodding. "Yeah, Marta? You found Summer what?" the concern in his voice was almost touching.

"Um. I found her sleeping," she finished lamely.

The boy looked bewildered. "O-kay. You found her sleeping, and decided that you should come get me right away? I thought the plan was for me to stay at that motel place until the band hit round 3, and then you were gonna bring me to Cambridge to surprise Sum for our anniversary. That was the plan, wasn't it, Marta?"

She nodded grimly. Marta had been reluctant to help out at all in this little scheme, considering her own personal feelings for Austin. But she had been hard-pressed to turn him down. After all, the Latimers and the Hales had been close friends for generations, and Marta had practically grown up with the boy. It was she, in fact, who introduced him to Summer in the first place, and who had unwittingly brought the two of them together.

Now, her mind was racing for an explanation of her antics. "Yeah, so, she was sleeping . . . and she looked sort of sad. I really think she misses you."

Though he smiled ever so slightly, Austin remained unconvinced.

Marta closed her eyes, wishing she didn't have to say what she was going to. "And . . . and Freddy is always hanging around her, and I think he wants to . . . do things, with her."

Austin's face hardened. "Freddy Jones? Man I hate him."

Marta was hushed.

"That kid thinks he's so damn cool, just because he's in some stupid rock band. No offence, Marta."

"None taken," she murmured.

He was caught up in his own tirade now. "He walks around school like the ground is lucky he's even walking on it, and he treats people like complete and utter crap. You know my twin sister, Morgan? She was one of those people. They went out for about a week in the ninth grade, and she was so happy. She really thought she meant something to him, thought maybe he even loved her. He told her as much. Then he dumped her as soon as he got what he wanted. The guy's a total ass. And girls seem to love him anyway.

"But not Summer," he smiled slightly. "No, she was always different from everyone else. She hates Jones just as much as I do. She knows he's a jerk, and that his ego outweighs his brain. She sees, even if no one else does. God, Marta, what do girls see in him?"

She thought carefully. "I don't know, Austin, not for sure. I mean, he's very wealthy, and I've got to admit, exceptionally handsome. And you and I both know that those are the qualities most Langford girls want in a guy. But other than that . . . I mean, why do you like Summer?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I guess you can't help who you fall in love with, huh?"

Marta agreed, silently.

* * *

"Seven."

"_Seven?"_

"Seven."

Zack looked at Michelle disbelievingly. "You were seven years old when you had your first kiss? With who?" he demanded.

"Freddy," she replied demurely.

His eyes bulged even wider. "Freddy was kissing girls when he was seven, and he never told me?"

Katie looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Well, no offense Zacko, but you and Jones were hardly the best of friends back then."

He shrugged in agreement.

It was true that Zack's friendship with the drummer had been . . . turbulent, at best. From pre-school, to about first grade, it had been as it is in most primary classes. All the boys played together in one area of the room, while all the girls played in another. There were no "best friends". Everyone was friends with everyone.

Then, in the summer following first grade, his mom left, and Zack was wary of letting anyone get too close to him. He was a bit of a loner for most of his elementary school career, eating lunch alone, and shying away from the other kids whenever they started a game of soccer, or tag, or whatever.

Freddy, meanwhile, had become close with Frankie Massagli – the new kid who had arrived in the third grade from California. Frankie was tough, temperamental, and as Zack's grandmother liked to say, "_Nouveau riche_." In Zack's opinion, this combination meant, "Stay the hell away."

Of course, when Dewey stumbled into their lives and formed the SoR, everything changed, and the two boys became friends. The rest, as they say, is history.

"Its my turn again," Michelle noted. The group was now well into their fourth or fifth round of truth or dare. She turned to Eleni. "Leni, I want you to go up to . . ." she looked around, before spotting a pink-haired boy loitering by a juke box. "_Him_, and make at least three not-so-subtle passes at him."

Grinning, Eleni stood up to get a better look at her target. Upon doing so, her grin faltered. "I can't," she stated flatly.

Michelle nodded understandingly. "Oh. Have you been with him already, or something? He looks like he runs with our crowd."

Eleni was indignant. "No, I have not done him already. I've only ever seen him, like, once before, and we barely even talked."

It was a testimony to how well she knew her best friend, because before the other three even had time to process what the shorter blonde had said, Michelle had already gasped, "Omigod, you like him, don't you? Oooh, Eleni's got a crush!"

Katie squinted to see the guy better. "Wait a second . . . Is it just me, or is that guy really familiar?"

Zack peered over in the same direction, and knew the answer instantly. "Yeah, we know him. That's the jackass drummer that tried to start a fight with Freddy at our last gig. Remember, he had just lost in some sort of drum roll competition, and he started ragging on Jones. The guy's completely full of crap, Leni. You can do way better."

"I know. And besides, Freddy would be majorly pissed if I ever did anything with him. He's cute though," she sighed regretfully.

"Right. So, even though Leni didn't actually complete her dare, I still think she should pick the next victim, because it didn't really count as a chicken. It was more of a . . . compromised situation. So go ahead, Len."

The tiny girl nodded gamely. "Great then . . . Katie, truth or dare?"

Katie leaned forward. "Truth, I guess."

Eleni thought for a moment, before smirking again. "Alright then Brown. Have you ever . . . _you know,_ and if so, who was it with."

Zack tensed suddenly. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, K."

Frankie rolled his eyes. "C'mon Mooneyhammer, she doesn't need you to defend her honor. Besides, you're ruining my fun. I wanna hear Wednesday Adams here admit that no guy will touch her."

Michelle thwacked Frankie across the chest, and a faint blush covered the cheeks of the normally unshakeable Katie Brown. She glared at the floor, and Zack could sense that she was fighting an inner battle.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever, until Eleni cleared her throat, "Guess that's a no. So, who wants to pick the next one?"

"It's a yes," Katie volunteered suddenly, and Zack nearly got whiplash as he turned to face her.

"It's a yes?" he repeated, astounded.

"Yes," she replied defiantly.

Frankie remained suspicious. "With who?"

Katie looked uncomfortable once more. "No one you know."

"She's lying," said Frankie at once. "I mean, come on. What guy in his right mind would want anything to do with the Mistress of Misery?"

Zack had known Katie for many years, and had seen her in many different situations. He had been at her side when she found out her sculpture had won first prize in some sort of contest, _and _when she learned that her father's cancer was in remission. He had also provided a shoulder for her to cry on when her grandmother died, and even when she got her heart broken for the first time. But never had he seen her looking so incensed, as if rational thought had flown out the window and she was ready to kill.

"Ok Massagli, so I lied. But not in the way your thinking. I _do_ have sexual experience, and you guys _do_ know the guy. It was Freddy," she finished simply.

In that moment, it was as if Zack's world existed inside a snow globe, and someone had just shattered the glass. _Katie_ slept with _Freddy_? It just didn't make sense. He looked around at the others to make sure he wasn't alone in his thinking, but to his surprise, Eleni and Michelle were nodding as if this made perfect sense.

"Well, duh," Eleni was saying. "I mean, you guys dated for that whole summer between Horace and Langford. It only makes sense that you guys got it on."

_Wait, they dated?_ He stood up suddenly. "I've got to go."

The shock and betrayal must have been evident on his face, because as he stormed out of the billiard room, he heard Katie rushing after him.

"Zack! Zack! Moons, wait!"

He whirled around to face her. "What, is there more you stuff you've been lying to me about? Are you carrying his child or something? Is Freddy Jr. on the way?"

"Look," she began, "I know you feel lied to, but - "

He smirked coldly. "Well, that would be because you _did _lie to me, for more than two years! Strange, how these things turn out, huh?"

"We didn't want to hurt you . . ." she trailed off.

"Oh, I'm sure. Listen Katie, not knowing about Freddy kissing Shelly when we were seven? That's ok for him to keep to himself. You and him actually going out, actually having a relationship? That's not ok. Now go away, and leave me the hell alone."

* * *

Freddy's first thought upon waking up, and sensing another body snuggled against him was _Oh crap. Who is it this time?_

However, once he opened his eyes, and realized it was Summer whom he was cuddling, he sighed in deep relief. The usual feelings of guilt and shame that surfaced after a one-night stand did not come, and he liked this new sense of purity he had somehow adopted. He had something here with Summer. Something good.

It was nice, waking up next to her, that tiny head burrowed against his shoulder, her trademark scent of citrus enveloping him. He turned to the clock, which read 11:00. This was the second time in one day that they had awoken like this, together. And though he knew it was stupid, and sentimental, and girly, he couldn't help thinking that it would be nice to wake up like this for the rest of his life.

As he studied her face, Summer opened her eyes slowly. When she got her bearings, and realized where she was, and who she was with, he was pleased to see her smile. "Hey, Spazzy," she greeted. "How long did we sleep?"

"Well, it's eleven, so you do the math."

"Eleven," she said again, and he could tell that the time had triggered something in her head and her mind was working overtime to figure out exactly what it was.

"Eleven . . . Oh my god, Freddy, the gig! The preliminary concert! We were supposed to be there at five! Oh, crap, this was our shot, we were going to make it big! How could I have forgotten? YOU!" she rounded on him angrily. "You and your stupid mouth. You just had to kiss me didn't you? Oh, I'm going to kill you."

Before she had the chance to smother him with her pillow, Freddy grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Summer! Calm down, its ok. I'm sure if the band really needed us, they'd have come and got us. I mean, they know where we are."

Summer looked slightly less murderous, however still not entirely convinced.

"Yeah, and even if we did miss our big chance, and I'll never get a chance to be John Bonham, its ok with me. I got to spend the afternoon with you. And that's worth a thousand big chances."

She smiled up at him. "You really mean that?"

He kissed her nose. "I swear on John Lennon's tombstone. Now lets go get something to eat, I swear its like this room doesn't even exist on the hotel staff's radar. I mean, I ordered some food a while ago, and it never came, and look. No one ever came to clean up the glass."

Summer frowned. "That it weird . . . Ah well. Lets go."

They made their way through the hall, down the elevator and into the lobby hand-in-hand, very much like two people in love. However, once they stepped into the foyer, they abruptly let go of one another, each for a different reason.

Freddy had noticed Zack huffing his way over to them, looking like a madman.

But what Summer saw was much, much worse. Marta Hale had just walked in with Austin Latimer.

She turned to Freddy and muttered inconspicuously, "Let the games begin."

THROWS CANDY TO REVIEWERS!

**ELISA**: Thank you, and believe me, I have every intention of finishing this fic.

**MISS MILLS**: Aw, thank you, and I'm glad you like my Freddy. And I feel sort of odd, figuring out the sex lives of characters who are like, twelve years old, but remember, in this story they're seventeen, so here's my SoR Virginity Chart:

Zack – Not

Summer – Yes

Freddy – Not (obviously)

Katie – Not

Lawrence – Yes

Tomika – Not

Marta – Yes

Alicia – Not

Billy – Yes

Gordon – Not

Marco – Yes

Frankie – Not

Leonard – Yes

Eleni – I don't want to give this one away, but if anyone watches the O.C, then think of Summer Roberts.

Michelle – Not

**ALEX**: Hope this makes you happy, lol!

**ANONYMOUS:** Thanks! And I'm so happy you've converted! Welcome to the dark side, lol.

**CROAKER**: Ok, I read the end of my last chapter, and I found it confusing too, so don't worry, you're not alone there. Freddy and Summer did not actually do anything other than make out. And Summer is bleeding at the end because Freddy was a little, er, overzealous with his kisses. Sorry about the confusion, seriously not my best work.

**LADYBUG11**: Thanks, it means a lot to know my interpretation of the characters does not make you all want to hurt me, lol.

**MAIGAIN**: I'm SO sorry about the wait, and if you're still reading after such a long delay, then I guess I owe you big time. Thank you for always reviewing, and making this worthwhile.

**MOVIEFAN747**: I've got to tell you, your review made me feel so guilty that I actually wrote a few pages right after reading it. I promise, never again to make everyone believe that I fell off a cliff, or something.

**PINEAPPLECUBE:** Thank you soooooooo much!

**MOVIEFAN747**: You just know how to make a writer blush, don't you? Thanks a lot, and I'm thinking that this story is a little more than halfway done, so there should be about seven more chapters. Hope that makes you happy!

**THE CHEEZHEAD:** I really wanted to punish Freddy for making her bleed, but I just couldn't do it. He's too damn cute, lol.

**XOBADRHYMER03**: Wow, its really flattering to get a review from you, the author of some of the most highly regarded fics in this fandom. I love your stories, and thank you so much!

**JENNA SAMPSELL**: I'm soooooooooo sooooooorrrrrrryyyyyy!!!!!!!!

**ROCKERCHICA**: That was really nice to hear! I'm glad to hear you put my story in such high esteem!

**SWIMMERKITTI**: I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but here I go. It's been awhile since we had our little argument, and I'd like to extend the proverbial olive branch. I respect you as an opinionated person, and as a writer, and I hope we can put this behind us.

**STIKIT2DA-MANIOSIS**: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

**!!!MEARA!!!:** Really? I can't tell you how happy that makes me!

**AR:** Aw, thanks. Yeah, the blood was Freddy's fault. He sort of bit her. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for the reviews!

**MAIGAIN:** So, I hope you enjoyed the F/S shippiness in this chapter, and I'm interested to hear what your opinion of Austin is now!

**LEAH6:** So, the Z/S/F triangle has evolved to include K/Z/S/F/M/A . . . or something like that. I know you're not feeling the F/S-ness, so I hope you didn't mind that part of the chapter. Thanks, as usual.

**MY DIVINEST:** No, Summer's not mad at Freddy. I wanted to write either another fight scene or a make-out scene, and the m/o won out in the end. The mix up with Austin's cousin will be resolved next chapter. Thank you!

**MY DIVINEST:** Yeah, I checked out _Soul Mates_ and I thought it was nicely done. My computer has been temperamental lately when it comes to reviewing other stories, but I promise I will post a review as soon as my stupid comp lets me, lol.

**GRAHAMCRACKERS:** You are the nicest person in the world! Thank you so much for your reviews, I read them over and over again, and walk around with a silly smile on my face. I hope you enjoy this!

**Oh, and thank you to those of you who reviewed _I Said Maybe_, my F/S one-shot. I'm going to unabashedly plug this fic, so please go read it!**


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